Saudi Arabia will be allocating $25 mln in aid to support the internationally recognized government of Yemen in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

Yemen on Friday reported its first case of the coronavirus in a southern province under the control of the government, an official statement said.

Saudi Arabia confirmed on Thursday that Yemen is particularly vulnerable to a COVID-19 outbreak and that the Kingdom would also be contributing $500 million to the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen in 2020.

“As the Kingdom’s stance with the brotherly Yemen: Allocating $25 million to support to the efforts of the Yemeni government in the face of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), in addition to the $500 million that the Kingdom contributed to support the humanitarian response plan in Yemen for 2020,” SPA confirmed in a tweet.

The Arab Coalition declared a complete ceasefire in Yemen for two weeks which started on Thursday as part of efforts to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. The coalition said the decision comes after an initial announcement on March 25 to endorse the internationally recognized Yemeni government’s decision to a ceasefire following a call by UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths for warring parties to lay down their weapons.

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Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 10:02 - GMT 07:02