Who is Responsible for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen?

The situation in Yemen, due to the military intervention and economic blockade by Saudi Arabia-led Coalition, is emerging to be the worst humanitarian crisis.

Civilians in Yemen are suffering a massive onslaught, as Saudi’s offensive continues to push the war-torn country into an abyss of carnage and devastation.

Earlier this week, in the aerial strikes at a residential neighbourhood of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, more than 50 civilian casualties were reported. 33 civilians were killed and 25 more were injured.

According to a UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson, the village of Bayt al Athri in Arhab district was struck with two successive air strikes. The first strike was aimed at a security checkpoint manned by Houthi rebels. The second, however, struck a local hotel where 67 people were present at the time.

Another airstrike by the Coalition Forces later hit a house in Hameed village, in Sanhan district, killing six civilians and injuring 13 others.

The dead included at least five children.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has documented 13,829 civilian casualties, including 5,110 killed and 8,719 injured since the coalition attack began in March 2015. The rights body says the number could be higher.

Apart from the destruction caused by airstrikes, the coalition has also imposed an economic blockade on the country. Sea ports like Hodeida port have been destroyed by air strikes putting the lives of civilians at higher risk as the ports served a route for food imports, medical and fuel supplies and also humanitarian aid. The Saudi coalition has threatened air strikes on all ships attempting to enter key Red Sea Hodeida port.

A majority of the population of 25 million, since the war began, now rely mostly on humanitarian aid. Nearly half of them have no access to clean water. Almost half a million people have contracted cholera, that has resulted in the death of nearly 2,000 persons.

The rights bodies say Yemen’s healthcare is in tatters and the medical aid is being provided with much difficulty. There are massive power cuts in the emergency service providers like hospitals. With more than 2 million people displaced and people’s livelihoods destroyed, the spike in the rate of malnutrition is another major risk to Yemeni children.

According to UNICEF estimates, more than 4,60,000 children are faced with extreme malnourishment with another 3.3 million children and pregnant or lactating women suffering acute malnutrition. The child rights body also says even if the conflict ends, the effects of the malnutrition, like stunted growth, are likely to remain and might even result in fatalities.

War on Yemen

The Saudi Arabia led the military intervention with the support of regional countries including Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. The Kingdom had also sought support from Pakistan, its close ally, to launch an offensive against Yemeni Houthis. Pakistan however, has decided that it will remain neutral in the conflict.

Yemen has a majority of population and nearly one-third of it are the Shias. Houthi rebels constitute Zaidi Shias, whom the Saudis accuse of being backed by Iran. The Houthis control much of the northern part of the country, including the capital city. The Southern part is under control of the internationally recognized government backed by Saudi kingdom.

The Houthis seized power in Sanaa after terming an end to what they called years of corruption, rights abuse and oppression. While the conflict between Houthis and Saudis escalated in Yemen, Al Qaeda also began to make inroads in the country and are believed to take advantage of the opportunity created by the political vacuum due to the ongoing crisis.

Even as reports containing a leaked conversation between a Saudi prince and top US officials suggested that the Saudi is finding a way out of the war, the Saudi is likely to continue the senseless war to safeguard its regional interests against Houthis.

The Saudi-led coalition is carrying out a mass punishment of a whole population and efforts to bring respite to the desperate Yemeni people are non-existent.

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