Barran Press
The Turkish government has expressed its willingness to meet the "urgent needs" of Yemen, emphasizing the country's "significant importance" to Turkey.
This commitment was conveyed by Ambassador Ahmet Reza Demirar, Director General of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a meeting with Yemen's Ambassador to Turkey, Mohammed Saleh Tariq, on Wednesday.
According to the official Yemeni news agency Saba, the meeting discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen and develop them in various fields. The Turkish official reiterated Turkey's support for Yemen and its commitment to providing humanitarian, medical, and relief assistance.
Ambassador Tariq presented a report detailing the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen caused by heavy rains and floods in recent months. The report highlighted the significant human cost, including destroyed homes, washed-away farmland, and damage to essential infrastructure.
He emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian, medical, and shelter assistance, as well as the reconstruction of homes destroyed by floods and the provision of aid for over 50,000 displaced Yemeni families. He also called for the establishment and support of emergency health centers and urged Turkish organizations to provide immediate assistance.
Since the beginning of August, numerous Yemeni governorates have been experiencing heavy rains, thunderstorms, strong winds, and flash floods. These events have resulted in dozens of deaths and significant damage to public and private property, particularly affecting those living in displacement camps.
Last Saturday, a report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that the number of people affected by floods and rains in Yemen had reached 180,000 within a week. The report anticipated the continuation of severe weather conditions until September, warning that the exceptionally heavy seasonal rains had caused significant damage and displacement in many Yemeni regions, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation stemming from over nine years of conflict.
On Thursday evening, Lisa Dutton, Director of Funding and Partnerships at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), announced that the number of flood-related deaths in Yemen since the beginning of the year had risen to 98, with an additional 600 injuries.
Yemen's weak infrastructure has amplified the impact of the floods, adding to the suffering of a population already grappling with fragile essential services due to the ongoing civil war, which began nearly a decade ago.