Saudi Arabia Says Will Invest $500 Million In Yemen Development Projects

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Saudi Arabia is to invest over $500 million in development projects in Yemen, the Kingdom's defence minister said on Wednesday.

The Saudi defence minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, wrote on the social media platform X of the launch of "development projects and initiatives in vital sectors at a cost of 1.9 billion riyals ($506 million)" across 10 Yemeni governorates.

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The projects, to be delivered by the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, include the construction of Yemen's first desalination plant, the restoration of the airport in southern city Aden, the opening of a hospital on the island of Socotra and the construction and equipping of 30 schools, he said.

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An official from the programme, which has been operating in the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula since 2018, confirmed that the funds cover "new projects" in the southern Yemeni governorates where the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) was active.

Riyadh will be the lone power managing disparate groups within the government and overseeing a state hollowed out by more than a decade of war. Its challenges include the costs of rebuilding and paying forces under its command.

"This will all become the burden of Saudi Arabia," said Farea al-Muslimi, a Yemen expert at Chatham House.

Riyadh is also planning talks between the southern factions to reshape the political landscape.

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