JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia has given $84.7 billion in foreign aid to 79 countries between 1996-2018, according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief).
Al-Rabeeah highlighted Saudi Arabia’s contributions to international humanitarian and relief work, and said that the Kingdom had saved millions of people from conflicts and crises, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
Al-Rabeeah was speaking during a seminar on the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts at the University of Warsaw on Saturday, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Poland Mohammed Madani, Ambassador of Yemen to Poland Mervat Majali, and officials of the Foreign Ministry of Poland.
The royal decree establishing KSRelief was issued on May 13, 2015. Since then, it has carried out 482 projects in 42 countries worth $924,553,000. About 86 percent of the projects have been allocated to Yemen with a value of $659,271,000.
Al-Rabeeah said that the center implemented 206 projects for women worth $341,481,000, as well as 171 projects for children worth $504,962,000.
He added that the Kingdom had taken in 561,911 Yemeni refugees, 283,449 Syrian refugees and 249,669 refugees from Myanmar, the equivalent of 5.36 percent of the population of Saudi Arabia, putting it in second place internationally in terms of the number of refugees accepted.
Al-Rabeeah said that total Saudi assistance to Yemen since 2015 had reached $11.18 billion, noting that KSRelief has carried out 294 projects in Yemen in partnership with 80 UN and international and local NGOs.
Al-Rabeeah said that the response of KSRelief to the appeal by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF for $66.7 million to combat the cholera epidemic in Yemen, as well as the projects allocated by KSRelief for women in Yemen from 2015 to date, amounted to 132 projects valued at $281,457,000. There have been 136 projects for children worth $469,867,000.
He highlighted that the Saudi project for mine clearance in Yemen, “Masam,” had been conducted by more than 400 people working in 32 teams within Yemeni territory during the preparation phase, and five specialized teams for rapid intervention, benefiting 9 million beneficiaries.
The costs of the project amounted to $40 million in the governorates of Marib, Aden, Taiz and Sanaa. More than 1 million land mines had been planted in Yemen, more than the number planted in World War II, he said.
Al-Rabeeah said that KSRelief was running a program to rehabilitate Yemeni children recruited by the Houthi militias, who use them as human shields. KSRelief is rehabilitating and providing care for 2,000 children through social, psychological, cultural and sports programs.
KSA grants $84.7bn in aid to 79 countries: KSRelief chief
KSA grants $84.7bn in aid to 79 countries: KSRelief chief

- Al-Rabeeah said that KSRelief was running a program to rehabilitate Yemeni children recruited by the Houthi militias
Six local officials detained over Iraq deadly mall fire
Three local officials, including the head of civil defense in Kut, had been detained
BAGHDAD: Iraq has detained six local officials and suspended other public employees following a fire that killed 61 people at a shopping mall earlier this week, authorities said Saturday.
The blaze, which broke out late Wednesday in a newly opened shopping mall in the eastern city of Kut, is the latest fatal disaster in a country where safety regulations are often ignored.
After an initial investigation, the interior ministry said “there was clear negligence among several officials and employees” in Kut, located around 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad.
It added that three local officials, including the head of civil defense in Kut, had been detained, and 17 employees suspended from work until further notice.
The Commission of Integrity, an anti-graft body, said later that security forces had detained three more officials “over the violations that led to the fire” at the Corniche Hypermarket Mall, including the head of the violations department at Kut’s municipality.
Officials say their investigation is ongoing, and the number of detainees may change.
Safety standards in Iraq’s construction sector are often ignored, and the country — its infrastructure weakened by decades of conflict — frequently experiences fatal fires and accidents.
Fires increase during the blistering summer as temperatures approach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
The cause of the mall fire was not immediately known, but one survivor told AFP an air conditioner had exploded on the second floor before the five-story building was rapidly engulfed in flames.
Several people told AFP they lost family members — and in some cases whole families — who had gone to shop and dine at the mall days after it opened.
Biotech deal to enhance poultry safety, quality

Riyadh: The National Livestock and Fisheries Development Program has partnered with global biotech firm PhageGuard and Saudi poultry producer Tanmiah Food Co. to introduce advanced solutions promoting sustainable livestock production.
The memorandum of understanding, signed in the presence of Vice Minister Mansour Al-Mushaiti, supports Saudi Arabia’s goal to improve product quality and competitiveness locally and globally.
The deal aims to enhance the quality and safety of local products by adopting innovative solutions that reduce health and environmental risks, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Under the MoU, PhageGuard will provide its biotechnology solutions through its local agent, Portalis Capital, to Tanmiah Food Co., which will implement and localize these technologies in the Saudi market.
The deal supports poultry sector development, boosts operational and production efficiency, and fosters a knowledge- and innovation-driven livestock industry, the SPA reported.
It focuses on bacteriophage technology as a biological alternative to traditional antibiotics, addressing concerns over antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These phages target Salmonella bacteria, helping reduce its spread, lower antibiotic use and promote safer food production.
Applying this technology will help mitigate foodborne illness risks from salmonella in poultry and eggs, enhancing product quality and safety and strengthening competitiveness in local and global markets.
Kingdom arrests 23,167 illegals in one week

RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 23,167 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
A total of 14,525 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 5,511 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 3,131 for labor-related issues.
The report showed that among the 1,593 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 69 percent were Ethiopian, 30 percent Yemeni, and 1 percent were of other nationalities.
A further 41 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 22 were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators, the SPA reported.
The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($267,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property.
Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia to support education for Yemeni children

RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has signed a cooperation agreement to support education for children affected by conflict in the Al-Hawtah and Tuban districts of Yemen’s Lahij governorate, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
The project, in partnership with a local civil society organization, will directly benefit 6,833 people and indirectly reach 16,000 others, according to the report.
The agreement was signed via video conference by Ahmed Al-Baiz, KSrelief’s assistant supervisor-general for operations and programs.
The project will include awareness campaigns promoting education — with a particular focus on encouraging school attendance among girls; the distribution of school bags, uniforms, and hygiene kits; the provision of psychological and social support, child protection services, and referral mechanisms; teacher training for volunteers; and the provision of materials for classrooms.
Selected classrooms will also be refurbished “to improve the learning environment,” the SPA stated.
The initiative is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader humanitarian efforts through KSrelief, with the aim of supporting education and protecting children in crisis areas, ensuring access to a safe and sustainable learning environment.
DR Congo, M23 armed group sign ceasefire deal

- The truce was agreed in a Declaration of Principles signed by the two sides after three months of talks in Doha
- A separate Congolese-Rwandan peace deal was signed in Washington last month
DOHA: The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda-backed armed group M23 signed a ceasefire deal on Saturday to end fighting that has devastated the country’s mineral-rich but conflict-torn east.
The truce was agreed in a Declaration of Principles signed by the two sides after three months of talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, which follows a separate Congolese-Rwandan peace deal signed in Washington last month.
“The Parties commit to uphold their commitment to a permanent ceasefire,” including refraining from “hate propaganda” and “any attempt to seize by force new positions,” said the agreement.
The M23, which seized vast swathes of territory in eastern DRC in a lightning offensive in January and February, had insisted on seeking its own ceasefire deal with Kinshasa, saying the Washington deal left out various “problems” that still needed to be addressed.
The African Union hailed the new deal as a “significant development,” saying: “This... marks a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.”
Under the deal, the warring parties agreed to open negotiations on a comprehensive peace agreement.
The deal, which the two sides said aligns with the Washington agreement, also includes a roadmap for restoring state authority in eastern DRC.
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said the deal took account of the DRC’s “red lines,” including “the non-negotiable withdrawal of the M23 from occupied areas followed by the deployment of our institutions,” including the national armed forces.
He said a comprehensive peace agreement would follow “in the coming days.”
The deal said the two sides had agreed to implement its terms by July 29 at the latest, and to start direct negotiations toward a permanent agreement by August 8.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi are due to meet in the coming months to solidify the Washington peace deal, whose terms have not yet been implemented.
Previous ceasefire agreements for eastern DRC have collapsed in the past.
Neighboring Rwanda denies providing military backing to the M23, but UN experts say that the Rwandan army played a “critical” role in the group’s offensive, including combat operations.
Rich in natural resources, especially lucrative minerals, eastern DRC has been racked by conflict for more than three decades, creating a humanitarian crisis and forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.
Thousands were killed in the M23 offensive earlier this year, which saw the group capture the key provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.
The front line has stabilized since February, but fighting was still breaking out regularly between the M23 and multiple pro-government militias.