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.

Yemen is the headline news on BBC now.

It’s horrific. My family are from Sana’a then ended up in Israel and then came to then UK. I don’t think there is much awareness of the situation there. It receives nowhere near as much coverage that humanitarian crises such as Syria receives. There are so many contributory factors to the suffering that I think the people there will just keep on dying of starvation, lack of health care, dire living conditions and the corruption that pervades everything.

Without the UK providing pilots and engineers, the planes which bomb civilians would not be able to keep flying. But the UK is too bound to the Saudis to end their huge contribution to this war. It’s beyond grim to see the occasional tv plea for UK donations knowing the UK is keeping this war going.

You’re right, there is not enough reporting about the crisis in Yemen and it is horrific and has been for a long time😢. My brother went to visit a friend there 2 years ago, he witnessed heartbreaking scenes, very young children searching through bins at every mealtime, no shoes and very little clothing. Bleeding soles of feet because of broken glass etc (no street cleaning there). I could go on but I literally can’t.

It is horrendous what is happening, as to why no action is being taken - I think that it being a civil war makes it hard and that Saudi are involved. I think that it is a disgrace but that these are the overarching reasons.

Bump as Yemen are in the news again. news.sky.com/story/this-is-the-darkest-moment-i-have-ever-seen-un-official-describes-crisis-in-yemen-12015828

As is this news.sky.com/story/uk-to-resume-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-following-government-review-12023296

Lovely. I bet UK taxpayers still underwrite arms sales too. I don't understand the politics going on here, does anyone else?

Yes it's horrible. Why we continue to grovel to the Saudis and sell them arms is a national disgrace. Thank you for caring.

You have done a little bit - I have just given to Unicef

Yemen is what a proxy war looks like.

They are the east/west lightening rod.

Actaully, no I'll rephrase that, they are the proxy war for the proxy war. East/West -> Iran/Saudi -> Yemen. It's horrific and absolutely nothing to do with the poor Yemenis, themselves.

I gather the area hasn't been stable for a long time, and that it began as a poor north v southern civil conflict with a religious dimension. Northern based Houthis then drew Saudi Arabia by attacking them, and taking training from Iran?? Is that a reasonable summary if such a thing is not too insulting?

I have now been reading about it. Civil wars/proxy wars are so complicated that I think a lot of people (me) don't try to understand the situation and then tend to block them out. After trying educate myself as a result of this thread, I think I have a very basic comprehension of what has gone on. I have given some money to Unicef but very unclear as to what else if anything I can do to help at all?