Blog
Yemen Crisis
Yemen is nine years into an unprecedented civil war. The fighting left the country, which was already one of the poorest among the Arabs, on the verge of a hunger crisis which, according to the United Nations, affects up to 14 (fourteen) million people. The NGO Save The Children believes that about 85 (eighty-five) thousand children under the age of five have already died of malnutrition in these nine years. In addition, the economic capacity of the Yemenis is "nonexistent". Throwing light on the issue is essential for people throughout the world to realize how serious the situation in Yemen is, and the consequences of what is already the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet.
The conflict has its roots in the Arab Spring of 2011, when a popular revolt forced the president to leave power in the hands of the vice. It was assumed that the political transition would lead to stability, but the new president faced many problems, including allegations of corruption and terrorist attacks from al-Qaeda. Taking advantage of the instability, the Houthis, which defends the Shiite minority of Yemen, took control of part of the territory and disillusioned with the political situation, many Yemenites, even Sunnis, supported the Houthis, and at the end of 2014 the rebels seized the capital, forcing the new president to exile. The country is important because of its location in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, which is home to most of the world's oil tankers.
The situation escalated dramatically in March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab (mostly Sunni) countries supported by the United States, Britain and France made airstrikes against the Houthis with the declared aim of restoring the government. The coalition feared that the success of the Houthis would give Iran, a regional (Shiite majority) rival and accused by the Saudis of supporting Houthis with weapons and logistical support, a foothold in Yemen.
According to the United Nations, the situation in Yemen is a humanitarian disaster. More than 6,800 civilians have died and at least 10,700 have been injured since March 2015. More than half of those killed and injured were victims of Saudi coalition air strikes. According to the UN Human Rights Council, civilians have been victims of "relentless violations of international humanitarian law."
In 2017, a cholera outbreak affected one million people, two of whom died, many of them children. It was the largest and fastest epidemic ever recorded, and it spread rapidly due to the destruction of plumbing and sanitation systems. In the port city of Hodaida, there are serious problems with blackouts, unavailability of drinking water and medicines.
About 75% of the population (22.2 million people) urgently need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million in dire need of immediate help to survive. The worsening situation is such that, according to the UN, 14 million people are suffering from food insecurity, 8.5 million of which rise without knowing if they will have something to eat throughout the day. And acute malnutrition threatens the lives of approximately 400,000 children under the age of five.
Only half of the country's 3,500 health facilities are under operation, which means that 16.4 million people lack basic medical care. The war also forced more than three million people to flee their homes. Two million remain displaced. All efforts by the UN to negotiate a peace agreement have failed.
According to BBC Brazil, the conflict in Yemen has been described as a "forgotten war" because of the scant attention it has received from the rest of the world, despite its gravity. As what happens there may exacerbate tensions in the region, Western countries fear more attacks. The situation is absolutely unstable.
Western intelligence agencies believe that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most dangerous arm of the group because of its technical expertise and global reach. Groups associated with the Islamic state have also gained strength in Yemen.
The situation is so chaotic and out of control that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which controls US aviation, has given a yellow alert to Yemen. This indication prohibits or restricts flights on Yemeni territory, due to the presence of extremist groups and the strong possibility of terrorist attacks.
Diplomatic authorities around the world warn against any travel to Yemen, including the archipelagic territory, because of precarious security conditions and political instability in the country. Moreover, since the activities of most of the embassies in the capital were closed, there is in practice no possibility of consular support.
The conflict has its roots in the Arab Spring of 2011, when a popular revolt forced the president to leave power in the hands of the vice. It was assumed that the political transition would lead to stability, but the new president faced many problems, including allegations of corruption and terrorist attacks from al-Qaeda. Taking advantage of the instability, the Houthis, which defends the Shiite minority of Yemen, took control of part of the territory and disillusioned with the political situation, many Yemenites, even Sunnis, supported the Houthis, and at the end of 2014 the rebels seized the capital, forcing the new president to exile. The country is important because of its location in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, which is home to most of the world's oil tankers.
The situation escalated dramatically in March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab (mostly Sunni) countries supported by the United States, Britain and France made airstrikes against the Houthis with the declared aim of restoring the government. The coalition feared that the success of the Houthis would give Iran, a regional (Shiite majority) rival and accused by the Saudis of supporting Houthis with weapons and logistical support, a foothold in Yemen.
According to the United Nations, the situation in Yemen is a humanitarian disaster. More than 6,800 civilians have died and at least 10,700 have been injured since March 2015. More than half of those killed and injured were victims of Saudi coalition air strikes. According to the UN Human Rights Council, civilians have been victims of "relentless violations of international humanitarian law."
In 2017, a cholera outbreak affected one million people, two of whom died, many of them children. It was the largest and fastest epidemic ever recorded, and it spread rapidly due to the destruction of plumbing and sanitation systems. In the port city of Hodaida, there are serious problems with blackouts, unavailability of drinking water and medicines.
About 75% of the population (22.2 million people) urgently need humanitarian assistance, including 11.3 million in dire need of immediate help to survive. The worsening situation is such that, according to the UN, 14 million people are suffering from food insecurity, 8.5 million of which rise without knowing if they will have something to eat throughout the day. And acute malnutrition threatens the lives of approximately 400,000 children under the age of five.
Only half of the country's 3,500 health facilities are under operation, which means that 16.4 million people lack basic medical care. The war also forced more than three million people to flee their homes. Two million remain displaced. All efforts by the UN to negotiate a peace agreement have failed.
According to BBC Brazil, the conflict in Yemen has been described as a "forgotten war" because of the scant attention it has received from the rest of the world, despite its gravity. As what happens there may exacerbate tensions in the region, Western countries fear more attacks. The situation is absolutely unstable.
Western intelligence agencies believe that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most dangerous arm of the group because of its technical expertise and global reach. Groups associated with the Islamic state have also gained strength in Yemen.
The situation is so chaotic and out of control that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which controls US aviation, has given a yellow alert to Yemen. This indication prohibits or restricts flights on Yemeni territory, due to the presence of extremist groups and the strong possibility of terrorist attacks.
Diplomatic authorities around the world warn against any travel to Yemen, including the archipelagic territory, because of precarious security conditions and political instability in the country. Moreover, since the activities of most of the embassies in the capital were closed, there is in practice no possibility of consular support.