What is happening to the people of Yemen is a story not well told in the West. Here in the United States, much of what we hear about are “terrorists” being fought in that part of the world, with little mention made of any civilian casualties or refugees.
I have noticed something interesting in the last couple of years, from Gaza, to Syria, and now in Yemen: Local people are caring for their own as best they can, while the world looks away. I ask myself how we all got here and the answers are never easy to find.
I recently made contact with a young man whose aid organization is providing food to very hungry people in war torn Yemen. As I am unclear what the security situation would be for them, I will use his first name only.
Adel and I met several weeks ago through Facebook, as he was searching for a way to increase the amount of food aid his non-profit group, Human Needs Development-HND, is able to offer in the midst of the brutal conflict in Yemen. According to a May 19 article this year in The Intercept, “President Trump appears to be outpacing Obama in Yemen, with more than 80 strikes since January and a disastrous Special Forces raid that killed 25 civilians, including 10 children.”
Now, the International Committee of the Red Cross has stated that a cholera epidemic has put Yemen’s health care system “on the brink of collapse”.
A November 2016 article in Motley Magazine stated. “There is also the issue of how the children of Yemen are suffering during the conflict. Malnutrition seems to be the major killer of the children of Yemen, with the UN humanitarian aid chief Stephen O’Brien saying that the situation is “absolutely devastating”. Yemen are in desperate need of food supplies where it is estimated that there are 1.5 million children suffering from malnutrition. Cholera also is a major problem among the youth due to the poor access to treatment. UNICEF spokesperson Julian Harneis said “This outbreak adds to the misery of millions of children in Yemen.”
https://motley.ie/yemen-a-war-overshadowed/
How can any of us look upon this situation and then turn away? The U.S. Congress just passed a bill to give Saudi Arabia $500 million in arms, which will surely be used to carry out further attacks on Yemen and result in many more civilian deaths. It is against this backdrop that Adel is attempting to aid his fellow citizens.
I discussed with Adel early on the reluctance of Americans to donate money to anyone in that region of the world. By law, if that money falls into the hands of a terrorist organization, the original donor can be charged with conspiracy and imprisoned. It is ironic that the terror raining down on Yemeni civilians is coming, in part, from the United States.
In Part Two of this post, I will be bringing you a more vivid mental picture of the people of Yemen, their customs and daily life before and since the start of the war. I firmly believe that war victims should have a face, and a voice that speaks for them. With the help of my friend Adel, I will attempt to get beyond the statistics and show you the people who make up Yemen’s very human population.
Until we meet again, take care on your journey…
P.S. If you want to help Adel’s organization, click here:
https://www.generosity.com/projects/save-a-family-in-yemen/payments/new
My Strange Journey 