Japan to grant $10M in aid to Djibouti, Yemen amid tensions with Houthis

Japan said Tuesday it will grant $10 million in emergency aid to Yemen and Djibouti amid tensions involving the Houthi group.

Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters in Tokyo that peace and stability in the Middle East, including around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, "is of extreme importance to the entire international community, including Japan, from the perspective of energy security."

"In Yemen which faces Bab el-Mandeb, Houthis have been stepping up violent military actions since July," Motegi said, referring to the ongoing conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthis.

"There have been many internally displaced persons and refugees are flowing into Djibouti… The humanitarian situation is worsening," he said, announcing the humanitarian aid, most of which will go to Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

Clashes between government forces and the Houthis resumed in July, marking the most intense fighting since a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022.

Fighting intensified in September, when the Houthis seized key areas in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the strategic city of Mokha and Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

On Monday, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced the launch of the "Dawn of Yemen" operation, saying it aims to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sanaa and end Houthi control.