Death in Yemen

While the world remains in the grip of news stories about the coronavirus, the UN has noted that the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis lies in Yemen, where a civil war has been fought for the past five years. There has recently been a re-escalation in fighting, with the world largely ignoring the crisis even as Western countries send in supplies of arms. Around 85,000 children under five have died of starvation between 2014 and 2018, and amidst the chaos we have limited reports on precisely what is happening now. But the Arab world’s poorest country has virtually been destroyed.

There have been some attempts in recent months to calm the civil war that began in 2014 when the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels took control of the country’s north including the capital Sanaa, overthrowing the Saudi-backed government. A Saudi-led military coalition intervened against the Houthis, but essentially with sporadic fighting continuing, there has been no success in ending a conflict that has caused immense misery. Thirteen million people face starvation in Yemen with the coronavirus problem limiting the aid supplies that can reach the country. The health system that Yemen possessed has already been wiped out. There is no data available on how many coronavirus cases the country may have, though neighbouring Saudi Arabia exceeded 500.

As the fighting continues, more people continue to die. The threat of Covid-19 hangs over them, and of course has already diverted the attention of the world. No one cares for the suffering of the Yemeni people which has in fact been largely ignored through the years of war. There have been statements by international agencies but not enough has been done to save vulnerable people including children who have suffered worst as food shortages hit, leaving millions suffering from severe hardships due to the lack of edibles and medical care. Today, Yemen continues to be pushed to the brink of famine. There is no evidence that the war will cease anytime soon or that greater international attention would be diverted towards Yemen. Whereas agonizing photographs of starving children have occasionally made headlines, they appear not to have moved the world sufficiently. The war has also caused a worsening in regional tensions and thrown the entire Middle East into a state of crisis. Even now, with battles for power raging on, and deaths still being reported, there is no real change in the situation that has destroyed Yemen over the last five years. The country itself has no real means of fighting back and has simply become caught in a war between two far more powerful nations in the region.