Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, is termed a ‘dangerous destination’ for potential travellers. Several nations have issued warnings against travelling to this country. Yemen is known for terrorism, kidnappings and other types of violent crimes, making the chances of surviving in this country is very remote. However, the media seem to be less interested in bringing out the civil war in Yemen, even when the whole country is being burnt to ashes.
Civil War in Yemen
The Yemeni war is an ongoing conflict between two groups: the Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi armed movement. Both claim to constitute the official Government of Yemen, which lead to civil war, wherein the battle got labelled as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The conflict has been going on for years. It intensified in March 2015.
The whole war had begun due to the poor transition of political power from Yemen’s former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in November 2011. As a result, there was massive unemployment, food insecurity, suicide bombings and a separatist movement in the South. This led to the inhumane war between the Houthis, a rebel Shia group and the people loyal to Hadi, wherein Saleh’s supporters backed the Houthis.
In early 2015, the Houthis decided to take control of the entire country, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia in March 2015. The Saudi Arabians considered the Houthis to be an immediate threat and accused Iran of backing the Houthis, to which Iran denied. That was when the Saudi-led coalition got involved.
The United Kingdom (U.K.), the United States of America (U.S.A.) and France are a few notable countries that support the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, mainly through arms sales, technical assistance and logistics. Meanwhile, fighters of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) affiliates took advantage of the miserable state of the country.
Outcome of the selfish Civil War (as of June 2020)
- 24 million require humanitarian assistance;
- 20.1 million are food insecure;
- 19.7 million need primary healthcare;
- 17.8 million require water and sanitation;
- 3.3 million are internally displaced people;
- 3 million acutely malnourished children, pregnant or lactating women;
- 2 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition;
- 85,000 children are dead from the famine
- Millions of people are trapped in the country
- The mass starvation is so severing, wherein it is estimated that one Yemeni child dies every 10 minutes (The number is suspected to be much higher in reality)
Current scenario
Due to the ongoing war with Saudi Arabia, Yemen has been at its breaking point for quite some time now. The Yemenis are suffering terribly, and the country is currently experiencing a devastating famine.
With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the living conditions became even worse and extreme. “Before COVID-19, 2 million children were out of school. Now, because of the pandemic, schools have been closed around the country, leaving an additional 5 million children out of school,” as stated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
As part of @UNICEF_Yemen's COVID-19 response we've shipped in:
10,000 tests 📝
33,000 N95 respirators 😷
33,000 face shields 🛡️
18,000 gowns 👩⚕️To reach more health workers and families, we urgently need your support.https://t.co/nUvJjdyo3E
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 18, 2020
The African refugees and migrants are also trapped inside Yemen’s deadlock, highly stigmatized, as stated by the United Nations (U.N.) plus the migrants. The stigma had arisen after the Houthi authorities had announced the death of their first COVID-19 positive case in May 2020. The dead victim was a Somali and was found lifeless in a Sanaa Hotel. “They ask ‘what’s your nationality: Yemen: Somalia?’ I say Somali, and they say ‘sorry, goodbye’.”, Hassan (a present-day Somali refugee) told of the potential patients.
Yemen: the country that will soon be a tearful memory
The public has created several petitions to raise funds for the people in Yemen. Steps are also being taken to make the authorities of various countries aware of the plight of the helpless people in Yemen.
“I hope corona never comes to us.”
Muna, 10, was displaced by brutal war in Yemen. Now, her family is facing the threat of COVID-19 too.
You can make a difference to children like Muna with clean water, education and healthcare. Donate today. https://t.co/qfdZhFJlRQ
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 19, 2020
“I feel terrified when I hear an explosion or the sound of a military plane.”
As children in #Yemen face the double threat of #COVID19 and conflict, Shahd, 12, is using poetry to call for peace. pic.twitter.com/Pd8GH2q10p
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) June 18, 2020
The UNICEF are in the grounds to save the suffering children from hell, through the above measures are not sufficient to rescue the people. The media has opted to remain silent on the intense war taking place in the country. If no actions are being taken soon, it is of no doubt that Yemen will soon be wiped off from the world map.
