Yemen - A country in crisis
And it needs our help!
An Overview of Civil War in Yemen |
Following the Arab Spring Uprising, authoritarian president Ali Abdullah Saleh was replaced by his deputy, Hadi. Hadi faced challenges dealing with jihadist attacks, the ongoing loyalty to Saleh, food shortages, and unemployment during his early time in office.
The Houthi movement was an anti-government rebellion, which took advantage of Saleh's weakness to conquer their northern homeland and neighbouring areas. The Houthis gathered support, and in late 2014 conquered Sanaa, the capital city. The Houthis tried to take control of Yemen in its entirety, forcing Hadi to flee into exile by March 2015. Saudi Arabia was afraid that the Houthi movement was supported by Iran-backed Shia Muslims, consequently gathering Saudi Arabia and eight other Sunni states to build a campaign to vanquish the Houthis. This has resulted in a four-year stalemate. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 680,000 people have fled Yemen as refugees. Yemen currently holds 3.3 million internally displaced people, up from 2.2 million in 2018.
|
A Country at Risk: Natural & Biological Disaster in Yemen
Whilst still suffering from the aftermath of the 2016 Cholera Outbreak, Yemen's health system has collapsed, and there are ongoing effects of the "World's deadliest famine" as called by the United Nations. There are reports that at least 17,700 UN verified civilians were caught in the crosshairs of fights between the Yemeni Government Forces & Houthi Rebels.
Famine
Two thirds of Yemen's population is at risk of starvation, amounting to around 17 million people. Over 3 million children, pregnant or lactating women are suffering from acute malnutrition. The famine is being compounded with the outbreak of cholera causing approx. 5000 new cases per day. As of March 2020, UNICEF estimates that 2 million children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition in Yemen and require urgent treatment.
Natural Disasters
According to the ADRC, the most common natural disasters in Yemen include floods, earthquakes, landslides, and droughts, floods being the most frequently occurring. Heavy rain and floods in Yemen have affected over 150,000 people. Homes, shelters, roads and bridges are damaged. Water supplies are polluted and electricity has been cut off because of the disaster. It is estimated that with climate change, the number of droughts and flash floods may increase and make those living in Yemen even more vulnerable.
Covid-19
The global pandemic is affecting Yemen greatly since hospitals are not equipped to treat infected patients, and testing kits and basic necessities such as masks and gloves are not available. In addition, sanitation is limited along with the clean water supply which could highly impact the spread of the virus in Yemen.
Epidemics
In June of 2017, a cholera epidemic resurfaced in Yemen, and it was reportedly killing one person every hour by mid-June. The epidemic worsened due to the lack of public health sectors and aid. Malaria has caused widespread suffering and death in Yemen for years, especially among children and pregnant women in rural areas. In addition there is a high risk of Dengue Fever, Pneumonia and Typhoid. The Yemeni government have declared the temporary capital of Aden a 'disaster zone'.
Two thirds of Yemen's population is at risk of starvation, amounting to around 17 million people. Over 3 million children, pregnant or lactating women are suffering from acute malnutrition. The famine is being compounded with the outbreak of cholera causing approx. 5000 new cases per day. As of March 2020, UNICEF estimates that 2 million children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition in Yemen and require urgent treatment.
Natural Disasters
According to the ADRC, the most common natural disasters in Yemen include floods, earthquakes, landslides, and droughts, floods being the most frequently occurring. Heavy rain and floods in Yemen have affected over 150,000 people. Homes, shelters, roads and bridges are damaged. Water supplies are polluted and electricity has been cut off because of the disaster. It is estimated that with climate change, the number of droughts and flash floods may increase and make those living in Yemen even more vulnerable.
Covid-19
The global pandemic is affecting Yemen greatly since hospitals are not equipped to treat infected patients, and testing kits and basic necessities such as masks and gloves are not available. In addition, sanitation is limited along with the clean water supply which could highly impact the spread of the virus in Yemen.
Epidemics
In June of 2017, a cholera epidemic resurfaced in Yemen, and it was reportedly killing one person every hour by mid-June. The epidemic worsened due to the lack of public health sectors and aid. Malaria has caused widespread suffering and death in Yemen for years, especially among children and pregnant women in rural areas. In addition there is a high risk of Dengue Fever, Pneumonia and Typhoid. The Yemeni government have declared the temporary capital of Aden a 'disaster zone'.
Why should I care?
As members of society we need to do our part by giving aid to those who need it the most. Right now in Yemen people are dying from disease, lack of healthcare, famine and indirect effects of a civil war. Would you buy medicine for your little girl and go without food tomorrow? Would you beg for people’s leftovers if you didn’t know when you’d eat again? Would you let your little boy miss school so he could find food for his family? This is not a choice, this is a tragedy. But it’s also a brutal reality for families in Yemen right now. Yemen now officially hosts the world’s largest human-induced food security crisis. Families and communities have been torn apart and left without even the most basic of living essentials:
We cannot stand by and watch this continue any longer! We must act, and we must act now. Let's come together to #SaveYemen.
- 19.7 million people need basic healthcare
- Almost 18 million people are in need of water and sanitation facilities
- Over 3 million people have been left displaced by conflict
We cannot stand by and watch this continue any longer! We must act, and we must act now. Let's come together to #SaveYemen.
