.png)
By: Anushka Kumar
When the sound of bombs and cries for help has become the norm, you know there needs to be change.
Unfortunately, this is the reality facing the civilians in Yemen, as they live through one of the worst humanitarian crises the world has ever seen.
Since 2015, Yemen has been engaged in a civil war, with Saudi Arabia leading the international charge against the Houthi rebels and their attempts to overthrow the government. The United States has funded much of the Saudi-led coalition, leading the world in arms sales to the country at about $8 billion this year alone. However, this arms sales has faced many controversies, both domestically in the US and internationally, as Saudi Arabia has faced several allegations of war crimes. Their airstrikes are the number one cause of civilian death inside of Yemen. On the other hand, Iran has been funding the Houthi rebels in a direct attempt to counter US and Saudi efforts. But the Houthi rebels have blocked any pathways of humanitarian assistance into the country, despite over 80% of the population, or 24 million people, in dire need of it. As a result, 85,000 children in Yemen have suffered and died of malnutrition.
In addition to a civil war, Yemen has been experiencing the largest cholera outbreak worldwide, with over 2 million cases and over 3,000 deaths in the past 4 years alone. With inadequate medical facilities and supplies, the country is unable to properly deal with the disease and continues to suffer from it.
Enter 2020, which brought the international community and global economies onto their knees with the coronavirus pandemic. The stock market found itself at almost unprecedented lows. Thousands of blue-collared workers found themselves unemployed. Over 16 million people found themselves at hospitals with the virus, uncertain of whether they would live or die.
For a country that is suffering from the likes of Yemen, the coronavirus was the last thing they needed. As of July 2020, they have close to 2,000 cases, with over 500 deaths, making Yemen’s mortality rate over five times that of the global average. It only further intensified the issues the Yemeni people were facing on a day to day basis. But how?
Lack of Proper Healthcare Infrastructure: Yemen is also a nation that has suffered economically as a result of the coronavirus. As such, there is a lack of medical equipment such as PPE, ventilators, and medicine to treat the patients. An estimated 20% of the 333 medical facilities inside of Yemen don’t have medical personnel to treat patients. Moreover, because of the ongoing war, hospitals continue to be subject to airstrikes and destruction.
Reduction in Aid: Prior to COVID, Yemen had already seen a reduction in aid to their country. While the UN requested from various Western and Middle Eastern countries in 2019 for $2.4 billion to adequately address Yemen’s problems, the countries only provided $1.3 billion. With COVID-19 causing devastating losses to global economies, these countries are even less inclined to provide further aid to Yemen. As a result, 30 out of 41 organizations operating off of international funding in Yemen to provide healthcare and nourishment services have been suspended imminently.
Economic Crisis: The international community has funded local NGOs or non-government organizations that employ local Yemen civilians to work in different services. With COVID-19, these countries have placed these NGOs at less of a priority and cut funding, leaving close to 1500 people unemployed. Additionally, close to 10% of Yemenis rely on remittances, or transfers of money by a foreign worker/entity, as a source of income. Over the past few months, these remittances have decreased by close to 80%. Additionally, many of the medical workers rely on the UN to provide them with monetary compensation. Close to 10,000 of them have lost payment as a result of the coronavirus.
Worsened Humanitarian Conditions: Due to preexisting health issues such as malnutrition, the civilians in Yemen already have weakened immune systems, making them extremely susceptible to the virus. In the city of Aden, within two weeks alone, 950 people contracted and died from the coronavirus, representing only half of their casualties throughout 2015 in the civil war.
The situation in Yemen continues to get worse by the minute, as countries choose to prioritize their domestic agenda over the lives of those suffering. As economies begin to regain their losses from the coronavirus, countries need to place the civilians in Yemen as a priority once again.
Hear their cries. Be the change.
Discussion Questions:
What steps should the international community take to stop the humanitarian crisis from being exacerbated?
Will the global ceasefire be violated due to the conflict in Yemen?
What steps can the WHO take to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Yemen?
How can the average person help resolve the crisis in Yemen?
Should the US reconsider its arm deals with the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebels?
Sources:
Further Reading:
Comments