Where is Yemen?
The Republic of Yemen, the poorest
country in the Middle East, is at the southern tip of the Arab Peninsula. It’s
bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. Its capital is
Sana’a.
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| (From BusinessInsider.com) |
What is this war about?
In 2014, Houthis rebels started
fighting the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had to take refuge in
Aden. Hadi was elected in 2012 (he was the only candidate on the ballots after
being Vice-President since 1994… super democratic process!) and, though his
government is internationally recognized, refused to give up power in 2014,
after his 2-year transitional mandate expired. In March 2015, the Houthis
declared a general offensive, thereby starting a civil war.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis originate from the North
of the country and take their names from their former leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. They claim to fight for a more economically
stable country, a non-sectarian and non-corrupt government, and for an
independent Yemen -which to them means free of Saudi and US influence. Though
the Houthis are Shia Muslim, many articles I have read report
that they do not fight against the Sunni Muslims but against a political
government they want to see change.
Who are the main international actors?
Ah, this is where this civil war
becomes more than “just” a conflict between an established government and
rebels.
Though I just wrote that the civil war may not be related to religion, the Houthis are backed by Iran
(whose government and population are also Shia) while the Hadi government is
backed by the (Sunni) Saudi Arabia and indirectly, but in a way very directly,
those who sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, such as the US and France. Khashoggi’s
murder became an indictment on the US-Saudi relation, especially their economic ties. Remember that Donald Trump first said that he wouldn’t jeopardize a 10-million dollar deal
with the Saudi over this "incident." A lot of civil society organizations in the
US, France, and Germany, among others, have put pressure on their government
-even before Khashoggi’s murder- to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia to
curtail the war in Yemen and to show their worry over Saudi’s human rights record.
What is the effect on civilians?
According to the UN and other
sources, up to 14,000 people have
been killed in Yemen, including more than 5,200 civilians, as of the end of
December 2017. On top of this, more than 50,000 died because of an ongoing
famine, due to the Saudi blockade of Yemen. Children are especially vulnerable
to the war itself and to famine.
In Summary
This is a complicated war. The
country itself was never a democracy and was never economically independent.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are fighting a war by proxy and destabilizing Yemen even
more. Yemeni children and their families are victims of the blockade and
ensuing famine. The situation is a humanitarian catastrophe. I am able to watch
Al Jazeera here in the Philippines (I’m here for a week for work) and they show
videos of children terribly thin, starving, dying. This is the reality the
children of Yemen face.
What can we do?
Some organizations are working in
Yemen to help families and children. If you are able and feel compelled to
give, I recommend Save the Children, the IRC, and Doctors Without Borders.
Additionally you can call your representative to ask what they're doing to end US' (or your country's) sales of weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Sources
Al Jazeera's Key Facts About the War in Yemen
Wikipedia's Yemen Civil War
