UN OFFICIAL URGES DONORS TO INCREASE SUPPORT TO YEMEN

SANA'A, Oct. 11 (Saba) - UN official urged on Sunday donors to
increase their aid to Yemen in order to alleviate the displaced
people sufferings.

During his meeting with Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi,
Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes praised
Yemen's efforts in providing assistance for the displaced people
from Sa'ada province.

Holmes was briefed by al-Qirbi on the conditions of the displaced
people in the camps.

For his part, al-Qirbi affirmed voiced Yemen appreciations of the
roles of UN authorities and agencies in providing the needed aid for
those displaced people by coordinating with the UN organizations as
well as the non-governmental organizations.

According to UN statistics, there are more than 160,000 displaced
people due to the recent confrontations between the army and rebels.

The sporadic wars Houthi rebels launched against the troops since
2004 resulted in killing thousands of people, soldiers and
insurgents in Saada governorate, which is located close to border
with Saudi Arabia.

The rebel group was founded by rebel leader Hussein al-Houthi.

Hussein, the eldest brother of the current group leader Abdul-Malik,
was killed by the army in September 2004.

The Yemeni government accuses the Houthi group of trying to
reinstall the rule of imams, which was toppled by a republican
revolution in northern Yemen in 1962.

FJ/AF