COVID-19 in Yemen: an underreported human rights crisis

June 16, 2020

Amid everything happening globally in 2020, it's hard to keep track of every hardship endured by people across the planet. But arguably the worst crisis so far, and one severely overlooked by most of the world's population, is the one in Yemen. In case you need a refresher on the situation, here's a briefing. (If you already know about the conflict in Yemen, skip to the section titled "what's happening with COVID-19").

background

Before the global crisis of the virus, you may have seen news stories about Yemen, a Middle Eastern country ravaged by civil war. This conflict was started during the Arab Spring of 2011, when former president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh was removed from power by an uprising. His vice president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, became president, and the country hoped for a better future under Hadi than under Saleh. Unfortunately, Hadi's Yemen continued to be in turmoil, with poverty and conflict still rampant. Dissatisfied with this reality, a group of Houthi Muslims, a Shia minority, took control of Sanaa, the country's capital. This happened in 2014, and caused president Hadi to run away to neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, which had political interests that aligned with Hadi's return to power. With a coalition, Saudi Arabia began bombing Sanaa, with the stated intention of defeating the militant Houthi group.

Since 2015, over 12,000 civilians have been killed in the conflict.

The attacks have, on multiple occasions, been accused of severe human rights violations, including the bombing and destruction of schools and hospitals and their inhabitants. Both sides of the Saudi-Houthi conflict have allegedly blocked humanitarian aid—food and water supply, vaccinations, and medical care—from reaching the devastated country. The conflict has severely damaged Yemen's healthcare system, and there have been deadly disease outbreaks, with a huge cholera epidemic the most destructive among them. Three-quarters of the country's population, 24 million residents, rely on humanitarian aid for their health and survival. To put that into perspective, the entire population of Australia is 25 million. More than 11 million Yemeni children are within this figure. While an almost miraculous coronavirus ceasefire held until recently, its expiry has seen the return of horrific violence to this terrible equation.

Visit Aljazeera for more recent and in-depth information on the conflict in Yemen.

what's happening with COVID-19

In an already-struggling country, the arrival of this ultra-contagious virus can only mean trouble. Although, as of June 10, official coronavirus deaths amounted to 112, the World Health Organization estimates the actual toll to be hundreds more. This is evidence of purposeful suppression of information, and it's very problematic. On a number of occasions, Yemeni families of the deceased report being instructed to keep quiet about the fact that their relative had died of COVID-19. Results of virus tests are not published, making the infection numbers very hard to discern. International healthcare organizations trying to minimize the global effects of coronavirus have virtually no statistics to determine how severe the Yemeni COVID situation is, or how exactly how bad it's going to get, but almost all sources agree that if nothing is done, this crisis will drive the country towards almost complete collapse.

To make things worse, funding shortages have recently forced the UN to shut down half of its Yemeni healthcare facilities. This lack of international funding has also caused food access for 2.5 million Yemeni children to be completely cut off. Increased demand for face masks has made their global price skyrocket, making this important prevention measure inaccessible to most of the population. With the cut in humanitarian aid, most lifesaving medical drugs are now also out of reach for the millions of people suffering in Yemen. Cuts in the Trump administration's aid to the World Health Organization have caused further devastation to the people of Yemen. With the huge toll that COVID-19 has taken to relatively prospering, well-funded nations like Canada, Britain, and the United States, we can only imagine how a war-ravaged country, already dependant on dwindling humanitarian aid, is impacted by a virus like this.

what you can do

Although the crisis in Yemen is has many layers and will not be solved with just one action, there are ways that you can help, whether you choose to donate, send a letter, or sign a petition.

DONATE

• World Food Programme's Yemen crisis appeal

• Doctors Without Borders in Yemen (essential and lifesaving medical care)

• UNICEF's program in Yemen (food, vaccines, COVID-19 response)

• Islamic Relief's Yemen famine appeal

• Oxfam's famine and cholera relief program

LETTERS AND PETITIONS

By Country

• For American citizens: Pressure Congress to assist Yemen in its struggle against COVID-19

• For Canadian citizens: Urge Canadian government to send humanitarian aid

• For Australian citizens: Urge Australian government to send emergency aid to Yemen

• For British citizens: Pressure Parliament to act on the crisis

Global

• Stop the flow of bombs/weapons to Yemen

• Call on the US to keep aid flowing to Yemen

• Look up if your country is contributing to the conflict/selling weapons to the Saudi-led coalition doing airstrikes. If you're able, write letters to your local representatives demanding change.

  • If you're not sure how to write a letter to a representative, click here for a guide by the ACLU

image from Al Jazeera; https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2020%2F04%2Fwarns-humanitarian-crisis-covid-19-looms-yemen-200428171709969.html&psig=AOvVaw0h62JZ-RQjt4AZ2hi2Xi4C&ust=1592430242215000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCPChkY6nh-oCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAP