Yemeni expats in Saudi Arabia welcome $2bn deposit to homeland

A Yemeni man shops at a supermarket in the capital, Sanaa. (AFP)

RIYADH: Yemenis living in Saudi Arabia have expressed their gratitude to King Salman for the $2 billion deposit he ordered on Wednesday to Yemen’s Central Bank in an attempt to bail out Yemen’s struggling economy as well as to alleviate the suffering of people in the war-torn country.
The bailout, which brings Saudi Arabia’s deposit to Yemen’s Central Bank up to $3 billion, will also bolster the Yemeni riyal against the dollar, bringing much-needed improvement to the cost of living of Yemeni citizens.
Commending the king’s decision, several Yemeni people told Arab News that the gesture reaffirms the strong friendship between their country and Saudi Arabia.
Basem Al-Fakri, who comes from Ibb in southwest Yemen and works in Riyadh, said the transfer will be a big help to the Yemeni economy, which has been in the doldrums.
“We are very thankful to King Salman,” he said. “The amount he ordered transferred is really a big economic relief and will go a long way in helping the country and the Yemeni people.”
Al-Fakri left came to Saudi five years ago because he could not find a job in Yemen. He expressing the hope that the latest transfer from the Kingdom will help create job opportunities back home.
Echoing his sentiment, Saleh Mohammad from Sanaa added, “The bailout came at the right time. It is expected to boost the economy so that the government can help its people who have been suffering from hunger as well as from war.”
Mohammad, who works at a car workshop, added that King Salman’s gesture reflects Saudi generosity and reaffirms the long-standing brotherhood between Yemenis and Saudis.
Earlier, commenting on the cash transfer, the Interior Ministry said: “The transfer aims to help the war-torn country to cope with the economic burdens resulting from the crimes and violations committed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, who have been indulging in looting the state — seizing government revenues including those generated from oil and its derivatives.”