Turkish sponsors donate Eid meat for thousands of Yemenis

SANAA, Yemen

A Yemeni relief organization has begun distributing meat of 1,250 sacrificed animals to thousands of poor people in nine Yemeni provinces, funded by Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).

Yahya al-Dabaa, head of the Humanitarian Access Organization, a Yemeni NGO, said, in a statement that the group implemented a project to distribute Qurbani meat funded by IHH by distributing the meat of 1,250 sheep.

Al-Dabaa stated that the project targeted around 30,000 poor, displaced and war-affected families in the provinces of Amran, Ibb, al-Bayda, Radaa, Lahij, Raymah, Dhamar, al-Hudaydah, and al-Amanah.

He pointed out that the meat distribution began on Tuesday and will continue until the end of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), stressing that the project "left a good impression on the beneficiary families, and brought joy to their hearts."

Al-Dabaa expressed his thanks and appreciation to the IHH for its continuous support for various projects and services for poor, displaced and affected families in Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict has claimed more than 233,000 lives.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat