Writer: Sammie Garrity
The crisis in Yemen has been going on for over 6 years and has killed over 18,000 civilians. Currently, it is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world and is experiencing the world’s worst food security crisis. Nearly 2/3’s of the population requires food assistance. In 2020, the conflict in northern Yemen increased when the Houthis—an Islamist political and armed movement—seized new areas held by Yemen and thousands of Yeminis were displaced. This continued dispute has caused people to lose their homes, lose fuel, lose security, and lose safety. To top it all off, there were repeated floods which destroyed houses and infrastructure. The economy has been crashing because businesses are closing, and people are losing their money which is leading to increased poverty. Some experts figure that 80% of Yemen’s population requires some type of aid. That included 12 million children. According to the Red Cross, 50% of children in Yemen are or have experienced malnutrition in connection with stunted growth. Almost 8 million kids don’t have access to education and Covid-19 just made that worse.
There has been unlawful violence on all sides of the armed conflict. In 2020, a Saudi coalition force conducted airstrikes that killed civilians. This wasn’t their first, either. Since 2015 they have conducted between 20 and 60,000 airstrikes. Almost a third of all of them have hit homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, and other civilian targets. The Houthis have also attacked detention centers which has led to the deaths of detainees. In April, Houthi forces attacked a prison which killed female prisoners, girls, and policewomen according to Mwatana. Houthi forces are continuing to fire missiles into Saudi Arabia.
To make matters worse, both sides of this armed struggle have recruited children as soldiers. DW reported that over 1,000 Yemeni children have been forced to fight. Mwatana for Human Rights, in their annual report, recorded that the Houthi rebel group is responsible for 72% of the children warriors and the Yemeni government used 11% of them. Over the course of the entire civil war, the Houthis have “inducted 18,000 child soldiers into their rebel army since 2014.” These children are forced to participate in a variety of ways. Some fight on the front lines, some man checkpoints, some are used for suicide missions, some act as spies, and some are used to carry messages back and forth.
Throughout the history of this battle there have been many different types of warfare utilized on both sides. Landmines, IEDs, and UXOs have been common on the Houthi side. These methods have exacerbated the excessive need for aid in low income and vulnerable communities. Another common—and illegal—tactic used by both sides of the dispute is detaining and abducting people. The UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen found that “parties to the conflict are continuing to engage in arbitrary detention, torture, including sexual violence, and other forms of ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance in violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. Such acts may amount to war crimes.”
There have also been extreme human rights violations. Humans Rights Watch wrote that both sides of the battle have been restricting aid. Millions of people have suffered because Houthi authorities have levied numerous regulations on aid projects. They haven’t let the situation be assessed in order to identify needs. They even shut down an international airport. There has also been remorseless violence against women. Migrants face rape, torture, and abuse at the hands of smugglers as they try to escape Yemen. Women also are deprived of civil rights. They can’t marry without male approval, they can’t divorce without extreme struggle, they don’t have legal protection which forces them into situations of domestic violence; including child marriages. Additionally, there has been significant abuse against migrants. With the nearly 140,000 migrants entering Yemen in 2019, came lack of necessary supplies to sustain healthy lifestyles. In April, Houthi forces pushed out large numbers of Ethiopian’s and even killed dozens. Saudi forces also fired on fleeing people which killed dozens more.
There has been a lot done by other countries to try and help the Yemeni people or to ease the conflict. Many INGO’s like UNICEF are either on the ground in Yemen distributing supplies or are sending donations or humanitarian aid directly. The U.S. has provided more than $1.1 billion in aid since 2019. Just recently the Biden Administration stopped sending weapons to Saudi Arabia in hopes to help remediate the dispute. The U.K, France, and Canada have all also donated with the intent of providing humanitarian aid. Overall, the conflict in Yemen is and has been a devastating one. People are suffering, dying, and losing their loved ones. There is hunger, poverty, and assault, and hopefully something drastic soon will happen to stop it.
Sources:
Red Cross
Mwatana Annual Report
The UN Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen
Human Rights Watch