The Crisis in Yemen: A Civil War, Cholera Outbreak, and COVID-19
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst one the world has ever seen, but not many people are aware of its severity. The civil conflict in Yemen started in 2015 between the Yemini government and the Houthi forces. The fighting began as a result of the Shia Houthis feeling inadequately supported by the government and President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Fighting ensued between the two parties but was exacerbated by the involvement of Saudi Arabia and eight other Sunni-Muslim Arab countries. These forces were also backed by the United States, United Kingdom, and France with the purpose of restoring the government. Saudi Arabia’s decision to get involved in the conflict was largely due to a close relationship with President Hadi and the country’s fear that the Shia rebel forces would destabilize the region. On the other hand, the United States has stated that its reason for involvement is due to its efforts to counter terrorism. However, both nations’ reasons have been heavily criticized by international humanitarian organizations and people across the world.
There are many more nuances to this conflict that can’t be quickly summarized but what we are here to discuss is the humanitarian crisis that this political conflict has caused. Fighting in the past five years has resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and 3.3 million displacements. One of the most concerning statistics is that this conflict has left 24.1 million people in need of humanitarian aid out of the 28.5 million people that comprise the population of Yemen. There is a severe shortage of food, shelter, safe water, sanitation, and healthcare. That indicates that about 80% of the Yemen population is in dire need of help, including 12.2 million children. UNICEF has described the conflict saying, “more than five years of war have devasted Yemen’s health infrastructure, subjected Yemenis to repeated disease outbreaks and malnutrition, and substantially increase vulnerabilities. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.” The people of Yemen have been dealing with this suffering and pain for years.
On top of the civil war, Yemen has also been hit with a Cholera outbreak. Cholera is a bacterial disease that targets the small intestine. It is usually spread by the consumption of water or food contaminated by the feces of a person who has the bacteria. If left untreated, this disease can kill people within hours. This has become one of the world’s largest spreading Cholera outbreaks due to a loss of hospital infrastructure and lack of clean water caused by the war. It is estimated that Yemen has had 2,188,503 total cases of Cholera since 2017 resulting in 3,750 deaths. Children under 5 years old are the most at risk population for the disease. The World Health Organization has responded by providing case management, laboratory resources, vaccines, sanitation devices, and clean water. They operated 414 facilities in Yemen, which included 36 treatment centers for Cholera. However, the effects of the outbreak in conjunction with the civil conflict have continued to be catastrophic for Yemen.
Along with the Civil War and Cholera, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the severity of the crisis. The country so far has had 967 cases of Coronavirus with 257 deaths, but that number is growing. Before the global pandemic 2 million Yemini children were out of school, but now that number has increased to 5 million. Yemini families rely heavily on foreign assistance for their daily food, so the global economic recession has heavily impacted them. Two million children are already facing acute malnutrition, and that number is only bound to increase if more help isn’t allocated. With a collapsing health infrastructure, Yemen won’t be able to handle too many more COVID cases. However, despite the despondent nature of the situation, there may be hope on the horizon. Generally, the Yemini Humanitarian Crisis is not often discussed in the West, however, in recent weeks discussion surrounding the topic has increased on social media. There have also been more campaigns to raise awareness about the crisis and urge people to help. A recent United Nations donation conference saw $1.35 billion dollars of humanitarian aid pledged to help Yemen. However, that fell short of the $2.41 billion goal. So, although there has indeed been a lot of international support, there is a lot more that needs to be done to meet the growing needs of the Yemeni people. That support could come in terms of money, but it could also be through advocacy and raising awareness about the conflict.
Sources
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cholera
http://www.emro.who.int/health-topics/cholera-outbreak/cholera-outbreaks.html
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1066192
https://www.care.org/emergencies/yemen-humanitarian-crisis