RIYADH: Forty children from Taiz in Yemen and Amman, Jordan, recruited by Houthi militias to become child soldiers, are undergoing rehabilitation as part of the second stage of the Child Soldiers Rehabilitation Project.
During the first stage of the program, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) also provided rehabilitative services to another 40 children, including those from Marib, Yemen, and Al-Jawf in Libya. “They will receive psychological, social, cultural and sports services and activities for a period of one month,” KSRelief said on its website.
The child soldiers, who were illegally recruited by Houthi militias to fight in the ongoing conflict, are being rehabilitated at the Community Rehabilitation Center in Marib.
The initiative, called Child Soldiers Rehabilitation Project, is described as “a qualitative program and a major achievement in the country’s crisis.”
KSRelief added that the children will also receive educational assistance to help them re-enter school and continue their disrupted studies.
It said relatives will also take part in programs to help children reintegrate into their respective families and communities.
Concerned families expressed their appreciation for KSRelief’s initiatives “to address the overall plight of the children who are used as pawns in armed conflicts.”
KSRelief added that various services had been given to more than 2,000 child soldiers in Yemen so that they could recover from their ordeals. Since 2015, KSRelief has spent more than $262 million on child development programs through 116 projects.
Earlier, Abdullah Al-Rwaily, KSRelief’s director of community support services, told Arab News that the center had organized rehabilitation for about 20,000 child soldiers in Yemen.
He said that there were four training centers where these children were being rehabilitated.
He also called for the participation of non-governmental organizations in the programs, warning that without such aid the situation could become similar to that in Afghanistan.
KSRelief launches 2nd phase of program to rehabilitate Yemen’s child soldiers
KSRelief launches 2nd phase of program to rehabilitate Yemen’s child soldiers
KSrelief continues humanitarian outreach in Syria, Yemen
RYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) continues with its humanitarian activities in Syria and Yemen with the distribution of food supplies, health kits and prosthetic services.
In the town of Beit Yashout, Jabla District of Syria’s Latakia Governorate, 499 families each received boxes containing a bag of flour as well as personal care kits on Saturday, state news agency SPA reported.
In Jindires of Aleppo Governorate, KSrelief distributed 1,476 food boxes and 1,476 health kits while in Talbiseh of Homs Governorate the aid agency on Thursday handed out to 86 families food parcels, each containing a 10-kilogram bag of flour, along with winter kits and personal care kits on Thursday.
This initiative is part of the Kingdom’s continuous humanitarian efforts, through KSrelief, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people during various crises and hardships, SPA reported.
Meanwhile in Yemen, the Project for Operating Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Taiz provided medical services to 434 beneficiaries who lost their limbs in December last year.
The center, being supported by KSrelief, delivered 1,613 services including the delivery, measurement and maintenance of prosthetic limbs, as well as physical therapy and specialized consultations.
UAE, Syria foreign ministers arrive in Riyadh
- Welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Al-Khuraiji
RIYADH: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE deputy prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
He was welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji.
Sheikh Abdullah is in the Kingdom to attend an expanded ministerial meeting on Syria to be hosted by Saudi Arabia on Sunday, SPA added.
New Syrian foreign minister Asaad Al-Shaibani also arrived in Riyadh on Saturday evening to participate in the ministerial meeting.
He was also welcomed at King Khalid International Airport by Al-Khuraiji.
Saudi Arabia condemns attack on Chad’s presidential palace
- The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen attempting to storm the palace
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday strongly condemned the recent attack on the presidential palace in N’Djamena, Chad, which left 19 people dead, including a soldier guarding the complex, and injured others.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s steadfast support for Chad’s security and stability, while rejecting any actions that threaten the country’s peace, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In its statement, the Ministry extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the fallen soldier and to the government and people of Chad. The Kingdom also wished a swift recovery for those injured in the assault.
The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, involved gunmen reportedly linked to Boko Haram attempting to storm the presidential palace, prompting a fierce battle.
The Chadian government confirmed that 18 attackers from a 24-member commando unit were killed in the fighting, alongside one security personnel. Tanks were deployed to secure the area.
GCC secretary general receives New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia
- Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties
RIYADH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Al-Budaiwi recently received New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Charles Kingston at the General Secretariat’s headquarters in Riyadh.
Al-Budaiwi congratulated Kingston on his appointment as New Zealand’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, wishing him success in his duties, the General Secretariat wrote in a report.
During the meeting, they also discussed a number of topics of mutual interest, notably the progress of negotiations for the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and updates on the joint action plan between the two sides. They also exchanged views on several regional and international issues.
