AND RESOURCES TO HELP
By Arya Hanumara
President/Social Effects Head/Co-Editor In Chief
(Source Linked to Image)
In ancient times, Yemen (now officially the Republic of Yemen) was referred to as “Arabia Felix,” which is Latin for “happy” and “fortunate.” This name was acquired because of the country’s tall mountains which attracted a surplus of rainfall, making the land more fertile than most of the Middle East. Ironically, today Yemen is far from being happy or fortunate. The country is going through the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, a direct result of Yemen’s involvement in a series of wars and battles throughout the Arabian peninsula.
In 2011, President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi came into power. While in control, Hadi failed to address the many of the nation’s problems, some of which consist of attacks by jihadists, corruption, food instability, and, most significantly, the Houthi Movement. The movement, started by Sunni Muslims, intends to take control of Yemen and kick out the remaining Zaidi Shia Muslim minority. The Houthis wanted to take advantage of the weak new leader by attempting to control the Saada province and its neighboring areas. With the aid of numerous Yemenis, the Houthis eventually took control of the capital, Sanaa.
As the power of the Houthi Party grew, people practicing differing forms of Islam began to join, indicating a shift in values for the group in its whole. The formerly religiously based group now sought to stabilize the country politically, while also continuing to glorify themselves.
Other Middle Eastern countries began to believe that the group might be militarily backed by Iran, a regional Shia power. 9 Middle Eastern states, including Saudi Arabia, sent a series of airstrikes to end Iran’s control over the country. The Houthis and their allies were driven out of southern Yemen in the fall of 2015.
To this day, President Hadi’s rule has been practiced in Aden, although he rules from Saudi Arabia, but it fails to provide food security and job stability for most of the country’s citizens. The Houthis continue to have power and influence in North-Western Yemen and launch regular missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations use the attacks made by the Houthis as an opportunity to seize land in the south and continue to fight with brute force. After fighting for several months, the two sides came to a ceasefire as a result of negotiations in Sweden. After this ceasefire occurred, the Southern Transitional Council instigated this freshly made resolution and declared an era of rule in Aden, a key port city in Yemen.
With any form of political instability and conflict comes casualties. In the case of Yemen, the crumbling economy has created one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. The conflict has caused about 4 million people to flee from their homes, and seek refuge in different countries. Also, “approximately 80 percent of the population – 24 million people – are in dire need of humanitarian assistance,” states UNICEF researchers.
Since the beginning of the conflicts in 2015, Yemen has experienced a shortage of clean water, food, and proper healthcare. The cholera outbreak in 2018 affected the community greatly, placing most of the population in a state of vulnerability. There were over 300,000 cases of Cholera confirmed, along with over 600 deaths.
Malnutrition has also been a leading cause of death in the country. Sources say that approximately 3.2 million people are living with severe malnutrition, most between the ages of two and five. Over 2 million of these malnourished people are pregnant or breastfeeding women.
The war has also further divided gender roles in Yemen. Many women are either exploited or subjected to increased violence. It is also difficult for women to gain proper access to healthcare, mainly regarding maternity and childcare issues.
With the COVID-19 pandemic fiercely striking the world, Yemen is in an even more vulnerable state than most countries. With many of the citizens’ already weak immune systems and lack of proper healthcare, a case of the virus can quickly become fatal. For the past few years, the United States has been utilizing some of its healthcare budget to aide Yemen, however with their own country’s status amidst the pandemic, there is simply not enough money to aide both causes. Organizations like UNICEF and Project Hope have made dedicated efforts to aide in the crisis, raising money for donations, shelter kits, kitchen sets, and even airlifting COVID-19 test kits.
Yemen’s population, although vulnerable and easily susceptible to the virus, still has the right to proper healthcare and resources. Instead of continuing to promote one’s quarantine crafts or workouts, or spending one’s time in isolation ignorant as to the state of the world, we as a nation need to come together and aide Yemen in as many ways possible. It is baffling that many wealthy figures in our country have the resources and money to put an end to this crisis, but fail to do so. Even though our government might not see this as a priority, individuals can still make a difference in the lives of the people of Yemen. We can understand our privilege and continue to advocate for an end to world poverty, although it may seem awfully incomprehensible at the moment.
The Children Of Yemen
HOW YOU CAN HELP!
CALL CONGRESS:
The U.S is fueling the conflict in Yemen and continuing to cause the suffering of several innocent people. We can make this stop! Call congress at (202) 224-3121, and insist that we must make a change and stop backing the military while using our status as a first world country to push forward a peace agreement to end the war.
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