On Saturday, 100 British societies condemned, in a letter addressed to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, London’s decision to nearly halve its aid to Yemen, which he criticized even within the conservative camp.
The 101 associations, including Oxfam, Christian Aid, Save the Children and Care International, say the government made a “mistake in judgment” by moving away from poor or war-stricken countries, arguing that the UK’s reputation as a will is affected.
“History will not judge this nation favorably if the government chooses to distance itself from the Yemeni people and thus destroy the UK’s global reputation as a country committed to helping the people most in need,” the signatories said.
On Monday, the United Kingdom pledged at least 87 million pounds (100 million euros) to aid Yemen, in exchange for a pledge of 160 million pounds in 2020 and 200 million in 2019, a move criticized including within the conservative majority that It belongs to Boris Johnson.
“Cutting aid to Yemen – a country on the brink of famine – is a betrayal of British values and the UK’s demand to assert global leadership,” condemned the Director-General of Oxfam’s British branch, Danny Sriskandraj
He said, “The reduction of aid will deprive millions of people in Yemen of a vital lifeline that they cannot feed their families, who have lost their homes and their lives are threatened by conflict and covid,” and urged Boris Johnson to stop “the immoral.” “Arms sales are fueling the country’s conflict.
In total, the government announced in November that it would cut its international aid budget by nearly 4 billion pounds (4.6 billion euros).
According to government documents consulted by the investigation site Opendemocracy, the poorest or most conflict-affected countries will be hardest hit by the sharp drop in British aid, such as Somalia (-60%), South Sudan (-59%), Syria (-67%). , Nigeria (-58%) or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (-60%).
In a call with Agence France-Presse, the Foreign Ministry refused to comment on the leaked documents. “The seismic impact of the epidemic in the UK has forced us to make difficult but necessary decisions, including a temporary reduction of the total amount of our assistance,” a spokesperson said, adding that the government “has so far been working” on each aid program. And that “no decision has been taken.”
“Food trailblazer. Passionate troublemaker. Coffee fanatic. General analyst. Certified creator. Lifelong music expert. Alcohol specialist.”