The small nation of Yemen is facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises—and it’s being fueled by U.S. policies and taxpayer dollars.1
The three-year conflict in Yemen has been a deadly battle between rebel groups and a Saudi-led U.S.-backed coalition supporting the previously established government.
And coupled with Trump’s Muslim Ban—preventing those fleeing for safety from entering the country—Yemenis are being doubly victimized by U.S. policies.
While the players in this war are complex, one thing is plain and simple: the destruction has been horrifying for the Yemeni people.
Already the Middle East's poorest country, Yemen is now suffering from widespread cholera and famine, with nowhere to turn for help. Doctors and nurses are working tirelessly, while sanitation workers and civil servants have gone without pay for months.3
More than 50,000 children are expected to die by the end of the year.4
International aid agencies are desperately trying to enter the country to deliver food and medicine to the Yemeni people, but the Saudi-led coalition has denied them entry by blockading major ports in the country.5
And with our taxpayer dollars going to support the Saudi-led campaign, we need to hold our representatives accountable for the suffering that it’s causing the Yemeni people.
The Saudi-led air strikes have destroyed much of the major infrastructure in Yemen—including airports, sewage facilities, and hospitals. The U.S. military aids the bombing campaign by refilling the tanks of Saudi warplanes—literally fueling the strikes that have killed thousands and left millions more in a dire state of sickness and starvation.
In fact, the U.S. support for the bombing of Yemen is so vast that the military itself has trouble keeping track of which missions it’s aiding.6
The countless violations of international law and the creation of one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world wouldn’t be possible without the U.S. military's complicity in providing technical, logistical, and other support for the Saudi-led coalition.
In solidarity,
Ahlam Said via MPower Change
P.S. Like the Yemeni Alliance Committe page on Facebook to keep up with the latest updates on the campaign to end the war on Yemen.
Sources:
1. "Senator Blasts U.S. Support for Saudi-Led War in Yemen," Democracy Now, Nov 16, 2017
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/11/16/headlines/senator_blasts_us_support_for_saudi_led_war_in_yemen
2. "Yemen: Blockade by Saudi-Led Coalition Hindering Medical Aid," Doctors Without Borders, Nov 17, 2017
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/yemen-blockade-saudi-led-coalition-hindering-medical-aid
3."Unpaid state salaries deepen economic pain in Yemen's war," Reuters, Jan 16, 2017
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-salaries/unpaid-state-salaries-deepen-economic-pain-in-yemens-war-idUSKBN15A1WW
4. "Yemen: More than 50,000 children expected to die of starvation and disease by end of year," The Independent, Nov 15, 2017
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-war-saudi-arabia-children-deaths-famine-disease-latest-figures-a8057441.html
5. Ibid.
6. "The U.S. Military can’t Keep Track of which Missions it’s Fueling in Yemen War," The Intercept, Sep 18, 2017
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/18/the-u-s-military-cant-keep-track-of-which-missions-its-fueling-in-yemen-war/