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i recently wrote about yemen for my final in my global issues class, so here are a few facts about yemen’s humanitarian crisis & amer*ca’s role in its ongoing civil war, as well as the affects of the coronavirus on the yemeni population *with linked sources* #FREEMENA
yemen’s political transition from 2011-2014 was supposed to bring stability to the country, but it failed miserably. so yemen is now riddled with corruption, unemployment, poverty, attacks by separatist t*rr*r*st organizations, & the lack of food https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423
according to the united nations, over 24 million people (about 80% of yemen’s population) require some sort of humanitarian assistance (ex: shelter, food, healthcare, etc.) https://yemen.un.org/en/about/about-the-un
therefore, yemen is considered to be in more need of humanitarian assistance than any other country today. https://yemen.un.org/en/about/about-the-un
famines are extremely rare in the “modern” world, but 14 million yemeni people are at the risk of famine. just $60 (USD) can feed a family of (7) for an entire month. https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2018-press-releases/yemen-85000-children-may-have-died-from-starvation
from april 2015-october 2018, about 85,000 children under the age of (5) may have died from severe accute malnutrition. their immune systems are so incredibly weak that they‘re much more susceptible to infections & diseases (including the coronavirus) https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2018-press-releases/yemen-85000-children-may-have-died-from-starvation
here’s a graphic of the cholera situation in yemen from october 2016-december 2019. there were over 2.2 million cholera cases & almost 3,900 deaths. (cfr = case fatality rate) *source: world health organization https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/EMCSR244E.pdf
many deaths in yemen are hidden & go unrecorded. only ½ of yemen’s health facilities are functioning & many yemenis are too poor to access any of the ones that are still open. therefore, they often die at home & their families don’t report their deaths https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/under-secretary-general-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-mr-mark-4
since 2015, yemen’s national income has shrunk by 50%, 600k+ jobs have been lost, & 1.5 million+ families no longer receive support through public safety-nets. overall, 80% of yemenis live below the poverty line https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/20181023%20ERC%20Remarks%20to%20SC%20on%20Yemen.pdf
however, yemenis aren’t just dying from hunger & starvation. since march 2015, the sa*di arab*an government has led airstrikes throughout yemen. these people are living in an actual warzone https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423
the sa*di-led coalition has conducted 20k+ airstrikes (12 attacks per day) in yemen since 2015. more than 90 of those airstrikes have violated the laws of war since they targeted civilians‘ hospitals, funeral homes, & factories https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/yemen
the united states & sa*di arab*a have been CLOSE economic allies for 70+ years. so believe it or not, the obama administration actually supported & assisted in the sa*di-led war in yemen https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/19/obama-officials-incomplete-reckoning-failure-yemen
the u.s. & sa*di have a $1 billion arms deal. several of the b*mbs & other weapons that sa*di forces drop in yemen were sent to them by america. the u.s. even stood silent when the united nations called sa*di out for its attacks on yemeni children https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/saudi-arabia-yemen-russia-syria-foreign-policy-united-nations-blackmail-214124
“we repeatedly provided this evidence to the obama administration, but they would insist that the support they were providing was reining in the saudis & helping improve their ability to comply with the laws of war” https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/19/obama-officials-incomplete-reckoning-failure-yemen
in 2019, senator bernie sanders & congressman ro khanna sponsored a resolution to end american military assistamce for the war in yemen, invoking the 1973 war powers act for the very 1st time https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/23/politics/bernie-sanders-yemen-veto-override-vote/index.html
even though the ~president~ threatened to veto the resolution, the house of representatives voted to send it to trump’s desk anyways, but 5 days later, he vetoed it https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/us/politics/trump-veto-yemen.html
just 2 weeks after shelter-in-place regulations were ordered in several american states, the trump administration suspended over $10 million worth of aid money that was supposed to be sent to yemen https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/world/middleeast/yemen-health-care-aid-coronavirus.amp.html
yes, although the u.s. aids in the war in yemen, it has also provided displaced yemeni communities with billions of dollars worth of humanitarian assistance (clean water, medical treatment & vaccinations). it’s confusing, i know https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/may-6-2020-united-states-announces-additional-humanitarian-aid-people-yemen
even though covid-19 was spreading to yemen, the ~potus~ rejected all of the pleas to delay his decision to cut aid. not only is it dangerous to hold back funding that could potentially SAVE PEOPLE’S LIVES, it’s incredibly merciless & inhumane https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/world/middleeast/yemen-health-care-aid-coronavirus.amp.html
the united nations called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid & covid-19 measures to be implemented in yemen. sa*di arab*a originally agreed to the ceasefire, but both rebel yemeni forces & sa*di forces later accused each other of launching attacks https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-middle-east-52224358
the country has 632 confirmed cases of covid-19, 28 recoveries, & 139 deaths. people have died because of airstrikes, starvation, & covid-19, so cemeteries in the yemeni city of aden are now overflowing. despite the pandemic, the coalition war continues
humanitarian groups fear that due to yemen’s limited covid-19 testing, the threats of a cholera outbreak & famine, as well as the country’s weak healthcare system, the number of coronavirus cases in yemen are much higher than those reported https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/22/yemen-displaced-heightened-covid-19-risk
displaced yemenis are much more vulnerable to covid-19 because they live in overcrowded camps where social-distancing & self-isolation is almost impossible. it’s also difficult for them to receive healthcare & other essential services if they’re infected https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/22/yemen-displaced-heightened-covid-19-risk
the world health organization had to reduce 80% of its operations in yemen bc of trump’s previous funding cut. but in may 2020, the trump administration announced that they’ll provide $1.7 million in humanitarian aid for yemen’s covid-19 response efforts https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/trump-yemen-aid-covid19-coronavirus-pandemic-who.ac.html
doctors/nurses require approximately $69 million for proper covid-19 testing & $761 million for PPE. they’re afraid that trump’s aid money isn’t going to cover everything bc the situation in yemen is so desperate https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/trump-yemen-aid-covid19-coronavirus-pandemic-who.ac.html
days later, the trump administration announced that they’ll send an additional $225 million worth of emergency food aid to yemen. humanitarian officials say that some progress has been made, but more needs to be done https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/05/yemen-trump-houthi-who-covid19-coronavirus-un-aid.html#ixzz6PD4ImwJ3
this is dr. sami yahya al-hajj. during the covid-19 pandemic, he has provided free medical services (consultations, diagnoses, prescriptions) to many yemenis just by driving around in his car & stopping for anyone who needs his help https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thenational.ae/world/mena/honk-for-healthcare-drive-by-doctor-treats-yemen-s-poor-amid-pandemic-1.1030881
the longer that the UN & other international orgs take to end the war in yemen, the more people will die @ the hands of the sa*di forces that the u.s. continues to supply with weapons. nonetheless, cutting/restricting aid to yemen (especially during a pandemic) is selfish & cruel
there is no end in site to the war, the pandemic, or the humanitarian crisis, so the numbers of deaths in yemen will exponentially increase. i’ll update this thread whenever i find more recent info about the coalition war, u.s.-yemen relations, & the effects of covid-19 in yemen
*** i’m a college student who‘s trying to get degrees in both poli-sci & global studies, so i often conduct research about u.s.-mena relations & islamophobia in/for my classes. if there are flaws in my tweets, please let me know so i can be further educated about this issue
here are some links if you’d like to learn more, donate, & sign petitions! https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/
here’s another useful link: https://yemenhumancrisis.carrd.co/
this link will direct you to even more resources to support/help yemenis, palestinians, & the blm movement https://linktr.ee/sandraaa
the UK ALSO provides sa*di arab*a with “b*mbs, the planes that drop the b*mbs, training for the pilots, & the spare parts/maintenance that keep & planes in the sky” https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/sep/06/britain-slaughter-yemen-planes-bombs-politicians-media
european states such as germany, denmark, finland, & norway don’t sell arms to sa*di anymore, but france has continued their arms deal with sa*di. however, the u.s. prioritizes the jobs created by sa*di arms sales over the yemeni civilians killed by them https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/05/17/france-should-stop-fueling-saudi-war-crimes-yemen
another link for donations: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/yemeniorphans
also, i apologize for using the hashtag #/FREEMENA in the original tweet. i understand that i should have used #FREEYEMEN instead
here’s another link for donations https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/humairaah-patel4
all of this critical info about yemen has also been translated into spanish so it could reach a much larger audience! please share it! https://twitter.com/erodabroken/status/1273085000934621189?s=21 https://twitter.com/erodabroken/status/1273085000934621189
here’s a very important thread to read through about the uk’s role/involvement in yemen https://twitter.com/louis_allday/status/1273608333367402497?s=21 https://twitter.com/louis_allday/status/1273608333367402497
