The question of the situation in Yemen

The conflict in Yemen continues to escalate. The ignition of the war can be traced back to the commencement of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi presidency. Hadi became president of Yemen after the past president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, was forced out of office. Hadi became president at a time of high economical stress, which the Houthis, an Islamic rebel group, took as an advantage to wage war against the government. 

            In 2014, the Houthis seized control of Yemen’s capital, forcing President Hadi to flee out of the country. And ever since then, Hadi has been continuing his presidency from Suadi Arabia while the Houthis have been slowly taking over different areas of Yemen. Including Marib which was one of Yemen’s strongest remaining areas as well as one of its largest sources of oil. Since the commencement of the Houthi takeover the Arab states along with aid from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France have all been attempting to fight against the Houthis ("Yemen Crisis").

            Nonetheless, in the last year the Houthis have been becoming more aggressive and violent against the Yemenis people along with other neighboring countries. In March of this year Iran was accused of smuggling drones, missiles, and other weaponry to Yemen for the Houthis use against Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s oil installations ("Yemen: Why Is the War There"). However, air strikes and casualties from implemented landmines from the Saudi coalitions have also been injuring countless innocent Yemenis citizens. Three UAE-led airstrikes against the Houthi rebel groups in January of 2022 caused 80 civilian deaths and 156 injuries ("Yemen; Events").

            The war is taking a huge toll on the well-being of the Yemeni people. Thousands of Yemenis citizens have been forced to flee their homes to find safety in other countries and the ones that aren’t given an option to leave are left defenseless. Because of the conflicts, Yemeni citizens have lost access to potable drinking water and cases of famine have been increasing. As of 2023, “more than 2 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, including more than 540,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition” ("Yemen Crisis"). The displacement of citizens combined with the climate shocks in Yemen have left citizens extremely vulnerable against outbreaks of diseases like cholera, measles, and diphtheria. Children have also been exceptionally affected by the war. Many Yemeni children have been recruited to fight or killed from attacks. And the ones that are left to live in Yemen have also been left more vulnerable than ever to cases of child violence, abuse, exploitation, and maiming. An increase in the cases of gender based and domestic abuse against women has also been noticed. 

            All of these factors have caused Yemen’s humanitarian crisis to be the current largest in the world with 80% of the population in need of humanitarian aid and protection ("The United"). The situation in Yemen and the providing of humanitarian and political aid is one of the UN’s biggest concerns right now. 

Works Cited

"The United Nations in Yemen." United Nations Sustainable Development Group, unsdg.un.org/un-in-action/yemen. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.

"Yemen Crisis." UNICEF, www.unicef.org/emergencies/yemen-crisis. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.

"Yemen Crisis Explained." The UN Refugee Agency, www.unrefugees.org/news/yemen-crisis-explained/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.

"Yemen; Events of 2022." Human Rights Watch, 2022, www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/yemen. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.

"Yemen: Why Is the War There Getting More Violent?" BBC News, 14 Apr. 2023, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023.