“See the need, help the people and end the war”
Manama : Rev. Tom Uzhunnalil who was released last September after 18 months of ISIS captivity in Yemen, said he prayed for the suffering of the Yemeni people to end soon. The Catholic Priest from Kerala was abducted in March 2016 after ISIS militants attacked an old-age home in the Yemeni port city of Aden killing 16 inmates including four nuns.
“I have been praying for Yemen, every day,” he told DT News in an exclusive interview. “May God end this war,” said the 59-year-old Rev. Uzhunnalil., who was the only priest in Aden at the time of his abduction.
Meanwhile, Yemen has launched a USD 2.9 billion humanitarian plan in collaboration with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The plan includes relief for the displaced and refugees and will cover health, education, water and service sectors, targeting 22 million people, including 11 million of the neediest, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Earlier this week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for depositing USD 2 billion in the Central Bank of Yemen account to enhance the financial and economic situation in the Republic of Yemen.
The foreign affairs minister affirmed the keenness of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa to continue to provide humanitarian support to Yemen through training programmes in banking, medical assistance and treatment of Yemeni patients in Bahrain, in addition to directives of His Majesty the King to allocate USD 1 million to build an integrated health center in Yemen, a BNA report said.
Appreciating the humanitarian efforts in Yemen, Rev Uzhunnalil, said countries should come together to end the crisis. He wished that “it may happen as early as possible.” The priest was released from captivity with help from Sultan Qaboos bin Said, and the Oman Foreign Affairs ministry after requests from the Vatican, the Times of Oman newspaper quoting the Oman government reported then.
Rev Uzhunnalil is in the kingdom on the invitation of the Syro Malabar Society of Bahrain as the chief guest for the society’s ‘Work of Mercy’ awards. He thanked the people in Bahrain who prayed for his release.
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