Valuable service by ERC in Yemen

In an editorial on Saturday, The Gulf Today said that through its various humanitarian activities, the UAE has well proved its keenness to support the Yemeni people and ensure that they have a dignified life.

"The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue is correct in stating that the Emirati role in the 'Decisive Storm' and 'Restoration of Hope' military operations represents a historical position contributing to achieving the strategic goals of the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, and helping the Yemeni people fulfil their hopes and aspirations.

"The humanitarian support extended by the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, has been capturing the hearts of Yemeni people. In one latest touching incident, the ERC sent a team to the house of a blind elderly Yemeni man, in response to his family’s urgent call for help, as sickness and the effects of war made him incapable of providing for the basic needs of his family," the Sharjah-based daily continued.

It went on to say that the ERC immediately responded to the call of Mohammed Dabi Ali Ladham and provided him with food, a tent and blankets, to protect him and his family from the extreme cold, as they reside in a mountainous area that experiences very low temperatures during winter. "Ladham himself voiced his appreciation to the UAE and the ERC stressing that it was the first time that any authority or organisation had visited him."

"There are several such instances where the ERC rose to the occasion. When the heartless Houthi militias damaged the houses of the people of Mocha and turned them into rubble, the UAE rushed to their aid after the city’s liberation and launched a project through the ERC to rebuild the city and local houses. The ERC’s humanitarian activities in Mocha include the reconstruction and maintenance of schools, hospitals and residential buildings, as well as digging and equipping wells for drinking water in the villages and areas of Bab Al Mandeb and Mocha.

"Fishing operations had stopped in Yemen’s West Coast during the presence of the Houthi militias and fishermen were not able to work even for their daily survival. The UAE Armed Forces chalked out a series of innovative procedures to make fishing operations smoother for the fishing community. The fishermen themselves warmly welcomed the help," the paper continued.

"The ERC goal is to ease the suffering caused by the destructive actions of the Houthi militias. It should not be forgotten that the UAE is the largest donor to Yemen, with its total assistance to the country amounting to some AED9.5 billion in 2017," the English language daily concluded.