Yemen Crisis: Five years of hunger, five years of war
Written by Caitlin Pridmore
The current crisis in Yemen is an amalgamation of multiple complex factors that have led to the state experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis that the world has seen. Despite this, the catastrophe occurring within Yemen is not being witnessed enough and global discussion is not being adequately facilitated through the media. The explanation behind Yemen’s history and its context will be summarized, as the history behind the war and the subsequent crises suffered by its citizens are very complex in nature. We encourage all readers to undertake their own research to educate themselves on such a multifaceted issue. There will be links and resources provided below to further insight your own knowledge on the issue as well as to donate to causes seeking to provide humanitarian aid to children and families severely malnourished. As stated, the current crisis is large and complex, and this particular article will be focusing on the current effects of COVID-19 and how it is subsequently affecting masses of Yemen’s citizens.
In 2011, the Arab Spring Uprising led to its then president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, passing his power over to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Since then, the state began to be seized by Houthi rebels and eventually in 2015, President Hadi was driven out of Yemen and the Houthis had taken over the capital. Since 2015, there has been constant conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-Arabian led coalition forces that have ultimately led to over 100,000 civilians estimated being killed and injured as a result of the ongoing proxy war. Following the end of 2019, the threat of COVID-19 has shifted into a global pandemic affecting almost every state on the planet, including Yemen. Previous to this, Yemen had already suffered a cholera outbreak spanning from 2017, weakening their health care system already hanging in the balance of conflict destroying essential medical and necessity services.
In April 2017, Yemen suffered its first cholera outbreak that as of October 2018 had resulted in an estimate of 1,236,028 cases occurring within the state since its initial outbreak. The bombings and destruction of imperative infrastructure used for water, sanitation and hygiene rendered the state vulnerable in its tolerance to cholera and even more susceptible in the spread of the outbreak. Humanitarian and medical aid such as oral vaccines had been stunted in its delivery due to the main seaport to Yemen, Al Hudaydah, being bombed whilst supply routes and medical facilities were additionally destroyed during the fight against the outbreak. It is said that currently 80% of Yemen’s population relies on aid to survive.
However, the aid itself has faced countless obstructions from its distribution to the 2 million people in particular who are facing acute malnourishment, 360,000 of which are children. There are doctors and health staff working without salaries, a major shortage in personal protective equipment for health care workers as well as citizens, and under equipped hospitals combating two health crises in the midst of an ongoing proxy war.
Yemen’s conflict has undoubtedly driven more than its economy and political stability into chaos as the state now grips its second major health crisis in a climate ill-prepared to support the needs of 24 million citizens. The severe effects of Yemen’s history in conflict and its cholera outbreak compelled the UN Security Council to issue a statement in April asking both the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition to implement a ceasefire so that the state could better equip itself for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic given its already weakened circumstances. Saudi-Arabia had proposed a ceasefire during the month of April when COVID-19’s presence within Yemen began to rear its head within the population. This ceasefire was later rejected by the Houthis in a disagreement over the blockades enforced within Sanaa and Hudaydah by Saudi-led forces.
The on-flow effects of the COVID-19 pandemic gripping a state already burdened with vulnerable immunity could lead to overcrowding in hospitals who are currently being overexerted to compensate for the destruction of half the state’s other previous health care providers. Overcrowding and a lack of sterile equipment to support patients could lead to a greater issue of more community transmissions as well as more deaths as a result of unhygienic conditions and equipment used. In its current state, Yemen’s already failing health care system has one of the lowest rates of testing globally making identifying active cases at risk of transmission increasingly difficult and virtually uncontrollable at the state level. Per million people in Yemen, there are only 31 tests conducted according to the International Rescue Committee. The actual number of cases recorded is also clouded in ambiguity as the Government and the Houthis who control certain territories have recorded numbers that are extremely varied. The actual number of cases and the infection rate within Yemen is feared to be significantly higher than what is presently known. Currently, the government has not assigned mandatory lock down for all of Yemen hence making it challenging to combat community transmission and isolate any impending threats, further weakening the state’s already fragile health care system.
The continuous political instability and subsequent conflict within Yemen has rendered the state inevitably susceptible to outbreak, both with Cholera and now COVID-19, especially in combat of their transmission. Yemen’s current humanitarian crisis is occurring against the backdrop of years of state conflict and political instability and it is beckoning the contribution of the global community to not only donate if you are in a position to, but to maintain the discussion around the crisis and prompt further education. The wider media has neglected to air the urgency of the current crisis within Yemen hence relying on social media to inform and educate the wider population.
For more information on the history and context behind the crisis as well as links to donate and support families caught within the conflict and pandemic, please seek out the resources below.
Websites on the history and context of the Yemen war:
UNICEF – Help Children in Yemen.
Amnesty – Yemen War: No end in sight
Human Rights Watch – Yemen: Displaced at Heightened COVID-19 risk.
For a summarized and concise source of information on the crisis as well as links to donate,
visit here. *
*Source written by Faiza from @PATTINSONSDIOR