To ask if you know about Yemen?

[goingdownsouth]

I know the world is in an awful state at the moment.
But why don't we hear about Yemen in the news?

It's the world's biggest humanitarian crises. And with Corona virus there is now a crisis in a crisis.
There are just 31 tests per 1 million people.
No one knows what the death total really is. Reports are that cemeteries in Aden are overflowing and there are mass graves.
80% of the population, 24 million people, need aid and 12 million children are at risk.
Years of fighting and the infrastructure is collapsing. Schools and hospitals are closing
The UN tried funding raising a few weeks ago, I heard nothing about this. They are short by $1bn! to supply aid. There is a risk of famine.
It's the number one failed state, worse than Somalia, South Sudan and Syria.

Because the UK is the second largest arms dealer to Saudi Arabia, who are using their bombs to devastate Yemen. Some of those bombs are British. But I agree it should be more publicised it’s disgraceful

Thank you for trying to raise awareness OP. My friend's inlaws are from Yemen and we regularly donate along with the community. Its really really sad...

I work in Yemen, so have a vested interest here. I think there is a lack of education about the conflict in the West: if you agree with targeting ISIS in the Levant, Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or Boko Haram in East Africa - you probably would have a lot of sympathy with why the Saudis are targeting both Hezbollah aligned Houthis and salafi jihadist groups in Yemen.

I think people find it hard to separate other concerns about Saudi from this issue, but things are a lot more complex than is presented on the latest Amnesty International ad. I’m so glad people are paying this issue attention.

I would agree that the more you look into the Yemen situation, the more you realise what a proxy war this is. It's sad, but it's also complicated.

Thank you op for this thread. Hopefully a lot more People will be aware. It's so heart breaking, it really angers me as to what utter rubbish can make it to the news but they'll be no mention of Yemen, the horrific pictures I've seen of children...

Like someone else said the media has a agenda

Thank you OP - I had no idea. Have just donated.

I'm so glad to wake up this morning and see a few of us are trying to make people aware.

And thanks so much to all those who made links to charities trying to help.

When politics and war tangle it's the innocent who pay the price.

I wonder if the BBC or other big news organisations have people on the ground there?
Maybe it's just too bad and they can't be there?

I am thinking of the old cliche of writing to my MP!
Any other suggestions for raising awareness?

I didn’t know, thank you for bringing it to my attention. Thanks for the UNICEF link as well.

I do know about it but only because I get updates from MsF. The mainstream media seem to be more bothered about when hairdressers will reopen.

Just adding this link to the others

www.msf.org.uk/country/yemen

Thank you for highlighting this. I saw a ch4 news update on Yemen a couple of weeks ago and it was horrific.
I googled to see what could be done at the time and was shocked it is getting such little attention. Those poor people. It is sickening.

Apologies, I was wrong about time frames in an earlier post. The civil war has been ongoing for 5 years, not 10.
I think that the war had its roots in a transition between presidents a few years earlier to try to bring stability to the country after the Arab Spring uprisings.

Thank you OP for raising he awareness of this. It's seems to be a very complex issue so I need follow links and do some more reading.

What's not complex is the tragic fact that @ 80% of the population are in need of humanitarian aid apparently. Thank you for the charity links to those that posted them.

Yes. It's a mess .

I imagine as Saudi have done most of the damage in Yemen. And the UK will bend over backwards to keep Saudi as a strategic 'friend' in the Middle East, we don't hear to much about the awful situation. Keep the Saudis happy. 🤷🏻‍♀️

@RubyFakeLips
I think you mean podcast Conflicted.
It is very good to help us understand the cause of the war between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. But it doesn't say Saudi Arabia can solve it very easily.
A peace agreement has been signed in Stockholm but it is difficult to implement it

@Charlotte2020
Houthis terrorists bombed and damaged Saudi Arabia water desalination plants. Their water desolation plants are their only sources of water. They cannot leave their citizens without water.
Saudis are defending their water security.
Houthi terrorists are supported by Iran.
It is a very complex conflict and , unfortunately, many civilians are suffering.

They seem to fight amoungst themselves.
Kind of like the situation in Africa, money is donated through comic relief then next year they are in the same position.

It’s a war, so there is suffering. As with every war ever, it’s not ‘bad’ just because it’s led by Arab powers. They are doing their best to keep extremism away from the peninsula without relying on British and US armies coming. Donating money to some organisations, including some linked here, can go on to fund a group that you might not like. There are three factions at war: the Saudi led coalition, the Houthis, and ISIS led groups.

The GCC led coalition (KSA, UAE) use American owned mercenaries to fight their wars. This is problematic as there is sometimes a deliberate lack of communication from these groups to leadership. There have been some human rights issues involving interrogation, but primarily - they have simply fought what is a difficult and brutal war given the demographics and geography of Yemen.

The Houthis use a lot of child soldiers (just under a half of their forces are children), and plant a lot of land mines. They also use the Hamas tactic; they hide their weapons, offices and personnel in civilian areas, in the knowledge that the Saudis will either not bomb - or they will bomb and face backlash in the media. They take doctors hostage, and hijack aid shipments. Saudi now work with the Red Crescent to guard food aid to get it to people in need, so that may be a good place for donations. They run protection rackets on businesses, and there is a lot of violence. They are backed by Iran, Hezbollah and have even received weapons from North Korea.

ISIS? Well, I’m sure you have a clue what it’s like to live under ISIS control. The restrictions on women, the sex slavery, the lack of education, the sheer violence.

I urge you all to look into this carefully. It’s a lot more complex than is often painted by NGOs. Be careful with where you donate, lest your money goes to an aid shipment that is hijacked along with the aid workers for ransom from the Saudi led coalition. They aren’t legally allowed to pay up. If they did, that money would go to Iran and Hezbollah and North Korea for weapons to continue a war that needs to end. If they don’t pay, those people die and the aid is never distributed.

In a war of attrition, when one party is on its last legs, sending aid can simply extend suffering.

The perspective of someone working in Yemen is invaluable @sergeilavrov thank you for your post above.

Do you have any suggestions as to which are the best charities to donate to?

Sorry, just reread and see that you've already suggested Red Crescent.
Thank you

@tonsattingforbjudes If you’re seeking to donate now, I’d probably recommend the Emirates Red Crescent, they have their shipments guarded by UAE forces and are really professional in their work to access difficult areas when we have a pause for humanitarian aid.

Apart from now though, the Saudis and Emiratis have spent two decades looking at what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq after they were abandoned by the West. They don’t want to do the same, they also share a lot of heritage with Yemeni people which is important. Every day, people are working on what the better tomorrow in Yemen looks like and how it can be achieved. Hospitals, schools and scholarships, business investment, ports. I’m sure there will be options to donate toward those when this conflict ends, and that is what the people of Yemen should have.

It sounds horrible, evil almost, to suggest that aid isn’t always useful. I know that. It is so, so hard to know that aid given today only extends the war and the suffering of those who sit hungry now. With so much on the line, with ISIS creeping in ever closer to vulnerable populations, we can’t just give them the country.

I have but I work in a niche industry which means I would more likely know about it. I have been donating for a few years now. It is truly horrendous. We fund Saudi - so no wonder the UK news don't want to report on it.

There's much food for thought in your posts @sergeilavrov
Thanks again

It is in the news. The saudi-hosted pledging conference the other week was covered by outlets ranging from The Guardian, to Reuters and the NYT, as was the shortfall in funding. I get press releases weekly about the situation from NGOs.

Food for thought there by the shovelful @sergeilavrov. Thanks

The headline that grabbed me was ( paraphrased): in a few years Yemen could cease to exist.

I don't recall anything being that dramatic about an entire country. We need to see this on mainstream news.