RIYADH, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia has signed a deal with the United Nations to provide 33 million U.S. dollars in aid to combat cholera in the war-torn Yemen, local media reported Monday.
The deal was signed Sunday by King Salman Center for Relief (KSCR) and Humanitarian Aid with with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Al Arabiya website reported.
The agreement was inked by KSCR General Supervisor Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabiah, who is also advisor at the Saudi Royal Court, with UNICEF's Representative to Gulf States, Shaheeda Azfar.
It is part of the 66.7-million-dollar financial commitment promised by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to support the efforts to combat cholera in Yemen, the report said.
Saudi took the step in response to the call by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the money would be spent on supporting water and environmental sanitation programs in Yemen.
The conflict in Yemen has continued for more than two years, causing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the country, which is worsened by the cholera outbreak in March.
The death toll from the cholera epidemic in Yemen has increased to 1,992 since late April, the WHO said in a statement on Saturday.
It added that 419,804 suspected cases of cholera have been reported since April 27 as the epidemic has spread across Yemen's 22 provinces.
