Yemen faces a series of crises, including famine

The crisis in Yemen has impacted civilians’ health, basic public services and their economy. Since 2014, the government has been in a humanitarian crisis. Over 24 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, including food, water and medicine. 

During 2014, President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi struggled to run the country. Then, the government was overtaken by an armed group called the Houthis, who moved into the capital city, Sana’a, and took over government institutions. Since then Yemen has struggled to recover. Moreover, in November 2017, Saudi Arabia launched a ballistic missile towards Riyadh and prompted the Saudi-led coalition to tighten the blockade in Yemen. 

Currently, Yemen is in a civil war with over 16,000 deaths and has left almost 13 million starving. The famine is the direct result of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and blockade. Yemen was already the most impoverished nation in the Arabian Peninsula, but the war and the naval blockade by the Saudi-led coalition and the United States Navy made the situation much worse. Saudi Arabia was reported to be deliberately targeting means of food production and distribution in Yemen by bombing farms, fishing boats, ports, food storages, food factories and other businesses in order to exacerbate famine.

With COVID-19 now spreading, Yemen is facing another emergency. Sanitation and clean water are in short supply. Only half of the country’s health facilities are functioning, and many lack basic equipment like masks and gloves, oxygen and other essential supplies to treat COVID-19. As coronavirus spreads, tens of thousands of children could develop life-threatening malnutrition over the next six months, while the overall number of malnourished children under the age of five could increase to a total of 2.4 million.

Yemen has faced many tragedies in the past years and the current famine is making circumstances worse. To help, visit https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/yemen-crisis