SANAA, 18 September 2008 (IRIN) - The government of Yemen has appealed for funds from international donors to help it rehabilitate thousands of houses and infrastructure damaged in the four-year conflict [see: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79410] with Shia rebels in the northern governorate of Saada.

Talking exclusively to IRIN, Nabil Shaiban, director-general of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation's department of international cooperation with Europe and the Americas, told IRIN on 17 September the government had made the appeal to help rebuild the war-torn Saada Governorate as well as affected areas in Amran. [see: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79860]

He said the appeal mostly focused on providing humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs). It also addressed the rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged during the war and the funding of a medium-to-long term development plan for Saada.

"As an initial requirement the [Saada Reconstruction Fund's] plan needs US$190 million for immediate reconstruction … the government has contributed $55 million and the rest represents the gap that will be filled by the donor community," he said.

For the medium to long term, the fund has initially presented a $500 million development plan, which will run from 2009-2012. "This amount has to be mobilised from government and donors," he said, adding that follow-up meetings with donors to win support for the four-year plan will be held after the Eid holidays in early October.

Beyond 2012, Saada will be mainstreamed into development like any other governorate. "Four years of war have left Saada behind in development."

For emergency relief (tents, food, and medicines), the government has put aside $9.5 million, according to Shaiban.

More than 6,000 buildings damaged

In late August, the Ministry of Local Administration said 6,000 houses had been damaged in Saada as well as 900 farms, 80 schools, five health facilities and 90 mosques.

The statistics were not definitive as the damage-assessment process was still ongoing.

The ministry also said 12,930 displaced families – more than 90,000 people - had returned to their homes since the conflict ended in mid-July. Some 3,274 families were still displaced.

Needs assessment

Shaiban said the government had held three high-level meetings with the ambassadors and heads of development missions and agencies working in Yemen to assess initial needs.

"The emergency relief that is needed has been assessed partly by the UN and international NGOs. They have presented a needs assessment that is not yet comprehensive. Therefore, the government has requested a more comprehensive needs assessment ... after the Eid holidays," Shaiban said.

This would help to decide how much additional support in terms of humanitarian emergency relief would be needed.

The conflict between government forces and Shia rebels left hundreds dead and thousands displaced since it began on 18 June 2004. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, more than 100,000 people were directly affected. The population of Saada is about 700,000 people, according to a 2004 census.

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