A Timeline of Yemen's Humanitarian Crisis
words by Sophia Esparza
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The term “humanitarian crisis” is a loaded one. Upon reading, you might envision terrible images of famine, death, and endless amounts of unprecedented violence; this is rightfully so, as that is the brutal truth of reality. For external perceivers of such injustice and hardship, the depths of these crimes against humanity — which have been taking place upon innocent factions of people for years (more so with the absence of foreign aid and thus no hope of ending anytime soon) — is a sickening idea to grasp. However, what is important to understand about a humanitarian crisis (perhaps the most imperative thing) is that it does not end quickly, nor easily. The brutal wound that corruption and war inflicts upon these innocent bodies is left infected for many years, leaving terrible, long-lasting scars.
Late summer brought with it a haze of political activism. Issues of domestic and international conflict were spotlighted across media platforms. The humanitarian crisis of Yemen was among one of the many. Although the conversation has halted, the people of Yemen suffer no less. We must continue to revisit the crisis occurring in Yemen not as a problem that can be solved within the span of a few months; rather as a crisis of epic proportions. A crisis that exists as the result of years and years of political and economic corruption.
The United Nations has declared the situation in Yemen the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. A majority of the population (around 80 percent) are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in areas that range from medical equipment to functional sanitary systems, as well as stable shelter.
To truly process the severity and longevity of this ongoing crisis, the political issues that have infected Yemen and poisoned its innocent population must first be examined.
A brief explanation of Yemen’s Economic Downfall
Prior to explaining the political upheavals that rocked Yemen starting around 2014, it should be noted that Yemen’s longtime economic instability has caused many deep-rooted internal issues within the country. The 1990s marked the unification of the Yemen Arab Republic and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen, or the Northern and Southern territories, respectively. Following this unification Yemen voted in opposition to the US and Saudi Arabia’s plan to use force against Iran in the invasions of Kuwait. Angered, the US and Saudi Arabia halted all economic aid they were providing the newly unified Yemen. This embargo had two long lasting effects on Yemen’s economy.
The first directly destroyed the dependence many Yemeni citizens had on work provided by Saudi Arabia; by ending their economic partnership, Yemeni citizens were unable to send remittances back to their families in Yemen. Second, the absence of aid led Yemen down a deep hole of national debt that they found themselves unable to dig themselves out of. As time passed the US and Saudi Arabia continued to instigate war and violence within Yemen, such problematic external influences are detailed later. Such issues have forced the Yemeni government to make major reconstructive decisions that the already unstable country was unable to assimilate into.
Below are the major events that led to the humanitarian crisis currently plaguing Yemen.
Yemen Revolution, 2011-2012
In 2011, the people of Yemen took to the streets protesting the changes to the Yemeni constitution that the President at the time, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was attempting to ratify. The people argued that said changes were blatantly ignorant to the massive issues of unemployment and internal government corruption that ran rampant in Yemen. These protests that took place during 2011 and continued into 2012, were well organized and strove to maintain peace, citing valid grievances that called for reform, not revolution.
However, as the months dragged on with no government recognition of their concerns and numerous promises gone unfulfilled, protests turned violent as the heavily armed population of Yemen grew more agitated. The masses of Yemen demanded that President Ali Abdullah Saleh remove himself from office after concluding his incompetence and inability to propel changes that Yemen so desperately needed. Thus, the streets of Yemen were set for revolution.
Tensions continued to rise between two major groups: those in support of President Saleh and those that called for his resignation. Violence became constant on the streets of Yemen, as there was no shortage of weapons available for those seeking to take up arms. In Yemen, there is no current regulation on gun acquisition as it is seen as a right and therefore requires no permit. During the height of the protests, the medical staff reported over 700 wounded protesters and more than a dozen casualties.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s Removal from Office
February 2012 brought President Saleh’s official resignation as president of Yemen. In an attempt to appease the mass amounts of protests, Saleh handed his power over to his deputy Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who was only supposed to lead for two years but remains in power today. The two parties behind the war in Yemen became defined at this time; essentially those who showed loyalty to former President Saleh and those in support of Hadi. In further elaboration, those who show loyalty to former President Saleh are a majority Shitte Muslim coalition that are supported by Iran and the opposing sector being the Sunni Muslims, who are supported by Saudi Arabia.
The transition of power came at a time of great instability and conflict. Unprepared to handle the backlash from opposing groups, Yemen was unable to fight back against militant actions from Houthi forces, a Shiite Muslim group that showed loyalty to former President Saleh. In 2014 Houthi forces were able to take control of Yemen’s capital city, Sanaa.
Up until these moments, the violence in Yemen could be traced back to internal forces, like the Houthi forces and the Yemen Military; however, following the successful campaign led by the Houthi forces, many international powers became anxious about the war in Yemen. The influence of international forces caused a great shift in Yemen’s civil war.
Saudia Arabia’s Militarization against Yemen, 2015
In March of 2015, Saudi Arabia launched a military coalition against Houthi forces, as the Sunni Muslims began to fear the amount of power the Shiite Muslim coalition was able to garner by gaining control of Sanaa. Such militarization was made possible with massive financial support from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The military-grade weaponry that was thus provided to them in 2015 and that is continued to be supplied has been used to kill thousands and thousands of innocent Yemeni citizens.
The gross amount of war crimes that have been committed by both coalitions have been staggering, and they continue to rise. As reported in November of 2018 by the Human Rights Watch, 6,872 civilians had been killed and 10,768 wounded by coalition airstrikes, a majority launched by Saudi Arabia weapons. Note that most numbers cited in these reports are a value based on data available, the reality of the situation would reveal the death toll to be much higher.
Following these airstrikes and surge in highly weaponized attacks, the alliances within the civil war became muddled with the Houthi Rebels that once sided with former Yemen President Saleh. In 2017, Houthi forces killed Saleh over land disputes and went forward to obtain complete power of the capital and Northern Yemen.
The death of Saleh marked an escalation in the civil war that ultimately prompted the United Arab Emirates to begin to fund Saudi supported coalitions and their attacks on Yemen. As well as supported weapons and monetary assistance, the UAE has been heavily linked to committing numerous war crimes; these crimes ranging from torturing and detaining innocent Yemeni citizens, running prison camps, as well as harassing and instigating violence with Yemeni refugees.
After facing severe criticism from the international community in July of 2019, the UAE announced their withdrawal from assisting Saudi Arabia in the Yemen Civil War. Despite releasing this statement of withdrawal, many UAE coalitions that have yet to leave Yemen soil have ignited petty wars with both Sunni and Shiite coalitions.
The effect on Yemen Citizens
As the situation in Yemen continues to escalate, innocent Yemeni citizens wake each day to find their home crumble before their eyes. War has left homes and businesses ruined. Moreover, the staggering 3.6 million refugees fleeing from these areas have a path of extreme danger in front of them as they seek shelter. As they leave their broken homes, land mines litter the landscape and the risk of interacting with violent soldiers looms large. The Yemen Data Projects reports that the past months have brought a 137% increase in the rate of air raids and a 186% increase in civilian casualties. The dust never seems to settle, with air raids hitting the ground nearly every hour. By the tender age of three, a Yemeni child has witnessed nearly 18,000 air strikes.
The effects of war have not been limited to violence, disease racks through refugee communities as it infects the immune systems of weakened bodies who cannot afford to nourish themselves. Most times, the supplies that are able to reach refugee camps have come into contact with diseases. Cholera, a disease spread through water and food contamination, has infected nearly 2.5 million Yemen citizens. Outstanding circumstances in Yemen have greatly hindered movements directed towards containing Cholera and other deadly diseases. At a time where the dangers lurk at every moment of the day, Yemeni citizens are unable to prioritize proper sanitization and monitoring their food sources.
Perhaps the blame for the health crises within Yemen can be traced back to the severe food desertion that began as war struck all those years ago. For, during any time of war, food is difficult to find. How does one find time to locate their next meal? And what do you do when there is no food to be found?
Blockades litter the borders of Yemen, promptly stopping any imports of food as well as reinforcements organized by nonprofits. With nearly 20 million Yemenis living without a secure food source you could only imagine the inflation on the price of the little food that is available.
Take a moment.
I am sure that you, along with myself, have seen a plethora of infographics, neatly organized charts and graphs that outline the numbers of deaths, bolded percentages that highlight the famine, and on the ground videos that show you first-hand just how severe the situation in Yemen is. It’s a terrifying and sobering thought that your reality and the reality of Yemeni teenagers exist in the same moment.
Take a moment to understand the length of this crisis, this isn’t new, and it isn’t going away. This is a disaster that is boiling over. The corruption of political and military systems is claiming innocent lives and ending them before they can begin.
Crucial updates to know about the situation in Yemen:
A joint statement released by the World Food Program UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that by 2021 more than half of Yemen’s population risks slipping into “worsening levels of hunger.” David Beasly, the executive director of WFP reports that ”Make no mistake, 2021 will be even worse than 2020 for Yemen’s most vulnerable people. Famine can still be prevented — but that opportunity is slipping away with every day that passes.”
As the situation worsens in Yemen, humanitarian assistance from international sources have begun to slowly ebb, stalling crucial support that was already minimal to begin with. Recently, the U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock reported to the U.N. Security Council that “$3.4 million U.N. humanitarian appeal for 2020 for Yemen had received only $1.5 billion, or about 45%.” To compare, this same time last year the U.N. saw nearly twice as much, around $3 billion.