Yemen. The Untold War in the Middle East.

“To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.”

- Nelson Mandela

To the very edge of the Middle East, in the distant lands of Arabia, lies one of the most ancient known cultures today. Yemen would act as a harbour, bringing together the Eastern and Western Worlds for millennia.

A renown trade hub since 5000 BC, Yemen has boasted a diverse and prosperous nation, rich in resources and culture. However, today Yemen is seeing one of the worst humanitarian crises witnessed in the 21st century, with 75% of its population at constant threat with bombing campaigns, military occupation, severe malnourishment and deadly famine.

Like many other Middle Eastern nations, Yemen would suffer by the Arab Spring of 2011. The Yemeni people would hold mass demonstrations against the governments action against nationwide poverty, corruption and rising unemployment. The President would resign as a result and the Vice President would take power in a landslide election, he would be the only candidate.

The Yemeni government will then be ensued by a power struggle with the Houthi Rebels, in Star Wars like fashion they would seize control of the capital Sana’a, toppling the government. This would result in a collaborative, multi-national offensive against the insurrectionists leading to a bloody and costly civil war.

It would seem the force was with the Houthi rebels, despite the joint initiative against them, they would execute many political opponents, dissolve the Yemeni parliament and occupy strategic strongholds. The remaining loyalists would ask for Saudi intervention, backed by American and European allies to begin a mass bombing campaign known as Operation al-Hazm. Since 2009, the Western powers have co-ordinated over 14 000 airstrikes, the US alone has spent $140 million on military armament in Yemen.

This civil war, like all wars has affected the people the most. Wide-scale bombings and skirmishes have devastated the land, destroyed infrastructure and killed thousands, mainly women and children. Another imperative issue is water scarcity. Yemen is the poorest nation in the Middle East, their oil reserves are negligible compared to their Arab counterparts, and agriculture is their only surviving industry. However, agriculture uses 90% of Yemen’s water supply and only generates 6% of their GDP. The Times of London quoted that “Yemen could become the first nation to run out of water,” and sources claim that 80% of the Yemeni population does not have access to a regular water supply.

The situation is worsened by two cyclones that caused major flash flooding along with catastrophic damage and famine. To add insult to misery, the unprecedented rainfall was the perfect climate for locust breeding. Locust swarms amassed in their billions devouring hundreds of acres of crops and any life left in the country.

Since January 2015 more than 25 000 people have been killed in Yemen, over half were civilians, and most of them children. CNN reports more than 10 million Yemenis are deprived of food, water and electricity and more than five million have been internally displaced and left as refugees as their homes and livelihoods have been utterly destroyed.

Oxfam stated that over 10 million Yemenis are constantly suffering from malnourishment and severe dehydration, with more than a million being children. In total, 80% of the total population is in dire need of aid. That’s twenty million human beings. And if help doesn’t reach them soon, we could see the largest genocide of an indigenous population since the World War II.