Yemen

Jan 14

A rising nation filled with unmatched opportunity, vibrant culture, and ample natural resources now faces the largest humanitarian crises our planet has ever seen as famine, poverty, and warfare continues to plague the lives of nearly 30.49 million mothers, fathers, and children that each call this beautiful country their home. Yemen’s intense political fragmentation accompanied by the overarching presence of national self-interest on part of foreign powers, has left the country desolate and desperate for an immediate call to action. Indiscriminate of age, gender, or religion, the present calamity has threatened the livelihoods and survival of far too many. It is not only the international communities’ moral, ethical, and legal obligation to hear their cries of help, but our duty as members of the human race to unite together on this call to action to fight against systematic and unconscionable negligence that prohibits individual support.

Background

Located in the southern region of the vast Arabian peninsula, bordering the Red Sea, Yemen was home to the world’s most sought out spices and aromatics, ultimately attaining its title as a prominent trading nation with strategic connections. The country’s unification of Yemen Arab Republic (North) and People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South) under the influence of the nation’s first and longest reigning president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, however, proved to be the largest variable in the pitfall of Yemen’s future. President Saleh’s irrefutable and alarmingly prolonged reign of twenty-two years led to widespread dissent enacted through the 2011 Uprisings, especially after his alleged crimes in electoral register fraud, inefficient parliamentary management, and favoritism of elites that infamously appropriated land, resources, and livelihood from locals. As tensions increased, so did the rising death toll with the ‘Friday of Dignity’ Massacre, ultimately prompting an intervention on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Nations, and other major powers such as Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. In accordance with the coalition’s demands, Saleh was forced to agree to the GCC Initiative and ascendancy of former Vice President Abdu Rabbu Mansur Hadi via the Implementation Mechanism for the GCC Initiative. Yemeni dissatisfaction grew however, with day-to-day problems persisting onward as a direct result for genuine reform with respect to the foundational arena as traditional methods of elitism and neoliberalism principles dictated each future policy and legal action leaving the common Yemeni in financial, social, and political distress as further represented through the alarming lack of employment and infrastructure initiatives to support efficient medical, utility, and educational operatives. The transitional government also continued to face opposition on behalf of Saleh’s followers, in addition to the rising Houthi rebel group, an organization that claims to strongly oppose foreign influences within Yemen and hopes to maintain a substantial political footing in an attempt to encourage economic and governmental development. A common goal uniting both subgroups led to a unification for Saleh and Houthi forces who eventually gained considerable amounts of recognition. The former interaction laid the foundation upon which Yemen’s current civil war rests; an internationally recognized regime led by President Hadi against Saleh-Houthi forces. With global affairs and the desire to maintain the current balance of power, an even stronger military coalition between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Australia, and Columbia emerged in an attempt to weaken Saleh and Houthi fundamentalists. The ‘Decisive Storm’ however underestimated not only the opposition's capabilities, but their motives which has dramatically contributed to the devaluation of Yemen.

A Humanitarian Catastrophe

Battling conventional mechanisms of warfare has already been proven to enact unprecedented suffering, but when combined with economic warfare, has been proven to be insufferable. The ‘Decisive Storms’ air and sea blockade has prohibited nearly all imports and exports concerning Yemen, with only UN Emergency Supplies allowed through. Further, the unmatched military and intelligence personnel provided by the United Kingdom, the United States, and France has only exacerbated and supported civilian casualties as hospitals, cemeteries, and utility plants are not only infamously, but routinely targeted. With billion dollar arms sales by each major superpower supporting mass destruction, it is evident that the downfall of Yemen is a systematic and calculated devaluation with neither participant underscoring the devastating atrocities in association. With more than ¾ of the population in dire need of care, the UN Population Fund has declared Yemen to be the largest crisis our world has ever seen. 23.4 million people suffer from chronic food insecurity in the year 2022 alone, with more than 2.2 million of them being children under the age of five years old. The Integrated Phase Classification System has declared 161,000 individuals to be surviving in desolate environments that even phase 5 of the scale fails to properly assess. Additionally, with the onset of COVID-19, disease and famine have become indifferent phenomena to each inhabitant, along with displacement; nearly 4 million have lost their homes and been subject to alarmingly high risks of not only contracting, but dying from water-borne diseases such as cholera, dengue, and malaria who have each been deemed preventable, if not easily treatable illnesses.

Future Prospects and How We Can Help

Yemen demands a call to action and a significantly altered approach to the current crises in question. If profit, greed, and self-interest continue to plague any and all global interactions, the fate of Yemen is secured. The root of the problem must be assessed from a lens of peace and sustainability where the interests of the 30.49 million Yemenis are held to the utmost importance. A careful observation and assessment of Yemen’s water crisis, along with an investment into today’s youth via education and political theory is a necessary beginning to ensure and protect any fragment of prosperity.

Above all else, it is necessary to understand that collective growth is only possible through individual support in which each of us recognize the impact our perspectives, voices, and actions have on the lives of others. By supporting UFO, you are adhering to the principles of an independent thinker that underscores the value that each and every person has to offer. Any form of support whether it be through donations, purchases, or even words of encouragement that help spread the goals of our organization, are wholeheartedly appreciated and recognized. We thank you all for your time and consideration. Join us in the fight for peace!

Learn more about the war in Yemen:

“Brutal War on Yemen: Dire Hunger Crisis Teetering on the Edge of Catastrophe.” Inter Press Service, 18 Mar. 2022

Burki, Talha. “Infectious Diseases in Yemen.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases, vol. 21, no. 5, 2021, pp. 610–611.

“Health: Fact Sheet: Yemen.” U.S. Agency for International Development, 22 Apr. 2022

Interactivestrategies. “The World Must Not Shift Attention Away from Yemen as Hunger and Malnutrition Rise.” Action Against Hunger

Lackner, Helen. Yemen in Crisis: The Road to War. S.l.: SAQI BOOKS, 2022.

“Yemen: One of the World's Largest Humanitarian Crises.” United Nations Population Fund

“Yemen's Tragedy: War, Stalemate, and Suffering.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations