The spokesperson for Yemen’s national coronavirus committee said she was ambushed and attacked Sunday evening in the interim capital Aden with her son, while returning from a committee meeting at the Health Ministry. 

In a Facebook post, Dr. Ishraq Al-Siba’ee described being surprised to see a vehicle chasing and circling her car while on an evening tour to evaluate the governorate’s health situation. 

She described a physical confrontation between the attackers and her son, and said she injured her hand after hitting the ground. Al-Siba’ee, who in addition to being the spokesperson for the coronavirus committee is also undersecretary of the Health Ministry, blamed Aden’s security authorities for not keeping her safe, saying they endangered her life and her family’s. 

She said the attack would not stop her from carrying out her work. "Nothing will deter me from telling the truth about the health situation in Aden and in all governorates."

Al-Siba’ee was appointed spokesperson of the National Emergency Committee for Coronavirus about two weeks ago. 

Since the beginning of May, Aden has experienced a steadily increasing number of confirmed and suspected coronavirus infections and deaths. However, due to a lack of testing and hesitancy among residents to seek medical care, the actual number of infections is likely much higher. 

The European Union on Sunday announced 55 million euros in aid to help Yemen cope with and counter the spread of the virus. According to a communiqué issued by the EU mission in Yemen, 36 percent of the 55 million euros will be allocated to strengthening institutional and economic resilience in Yemen, 26 percent will go toward support for the health sector, 18 percent for livelihoods and food security, and the rest to support access to health services, community health workers, community service and social protection.

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Editing by Ahlam Mohsen and Casey Coombs