Indonesian Ulema Calls for International Community to Help Yemeni Residents
Jakarta, MINA – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) calls on Indonesian Muslims in general, as well as Islamic organizations and humanitarian organizations in Indonesia in particular to raise funds to help Yemeni residents who are experiencing hunger due to war.
MUI’s appeal was conveyed in the official letter of the MUI in the Field of Foreign Relations and International Cooperation (HLNKI) on Sunday, which was signed by the Chairman of the HLNKI Commission, Drs. Bunyan Saptomo, MA and Commission Secretary Dr. Andy Hadiyanto, MA, as well as knowing the Head of HLNKI Division Prof. Dr. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, MA, and Deputy of General Secretaty for HLNKI Dr. Ali Hasan Bahr, MA.
In the official letter, MUI expressed deep concern over the occurrence of famine in Yemen, as a result of the ongoing war in that country.
The MUI call responds to calls from the United Nations (UN) for fundraising to help Yemeni residents who are starving due to war this week.
Launching from the official UN news page, UN News, at a virtual donor country conference for Yemen held by Sweden and Switzerland on Monday, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, firmly expressed his disappointment with donor countries.
The UN hopes to raise US $ 3.8 billion. The fund is to finance millions of Yemeni residents who are suffering.
However, in his report, Antonio Guterres explained that the funds raised were only US $ 1.7 billion or equivalent to Rp.24.2 billion.
The amount is within US$ 1 billion of the donation funds collected last year.
“MUI as the representative of Indonesian Muslims expresses its highest appreciation to the United Nations for its commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen since the war began in 2015,” said Bunyan.
In addition, MUI urges all parties involved in the war in Yemen to immediately carry out a ceasefire, and carry out negotiations to settle their disputes peacefully in accordance with the Islamic spirit which means peace.
The MUI appealed to the Government of the Republic of Indonesia to improve coordination with the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations to help resolve the conflict in Yemen peacefully and help overcome the famine in the country.
More than 16 million Yemenis will suffer hunger this year
The civil war in Yemen began in 2014 by an uprising by the Houthis and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Houthis managed to seize and overthrow the capital, Sanaa, thereby expelling the Yemeni government.
In the aftermath of the coalition formed by Saudi Arabia, launched a series of air attacks to restore the central government.
The conflict in Yemen has left about 130,000 people dead and resulted in about 4 million people fleeing their homes to become refugees.
Millions of people who are now in the midst of conflict are threatened with starvation. The United Nations Office on Human Rights said that this year, more than 16 million Yemenis will starve. As for at least half a million people, famine has become a reality.
It was exacerbated by the impact of the corona outbreak and the economic setback that weighed on the state treasury. It is also believed that the rampant corrupt practices in channeling aid funds to Yemen are a factor. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
