Yemen Jeopardy: Over 5 years of Civil War, survival chances of the Famine hit middle east country are none.
At least 80 % of the total population of Yemen are malnourished. About 20 million people need urgent food assistance, according to the UN. Almost 10 million of them are considered one step away from famine. Those who escaped starvation may not escape from air strike launched by the Saudi-UAE coalition.
If hunger and disease were not enough, Yemenis live in the constant shadow of death either from the skies, in the shape of Saudi-led bombardment of Houthi positions, or fighting on the ground between multiple factions.
The country, battered by over five years of war, is ill-prepared to face the coronavirus pandemic. While the official tally says there are around 1,300 cases, experts warn the real number may be over a million, as Yemen’s fragile health infrastructure is in no shape to give accurate data.
People in Yemen are victims of humans, not the nature, according to sociologists. Yemenis vehemently denounce Saudi Arabia for their pitiable situation and untold sufferings. And they have valid reasons for putting such allegation against the Saudi.
Since the beginning of the conflict, emergency food, medical and humanitarian supplies have been restricted by a partial land, sea and air blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition. This has significantly obstructed the distribution of aid and relief services in the deprived places.
Geopolitics experts have said it is a proxy war between the Shia-ruled Saudi Arabia and Sunni-ruled Iran. People here feel abandoned and desperately ask why the world has allowed them to suffer. The world may have forgotten the war in Yemen, but the Yeminis believe the war has been largely ignored.
Deplorable condition of children:
About 10 children die every day in Yemen from preventable diseases caused by hunger. According to non-profit Save the Children, about 85,000 children under the age of five may have died of starvation or disease between April 2015 and October 2018.
Such deaths are hardly reported. The situation is abysmal in remote places where children lives are endangered by the effects of malnutrition due to acute food shortage.
“Children who die of hunger suffer immensely as their vital organ functions slow down and eventually stop,” said, Tamer Kirolos, country director, Save the Children.
“Their immune systems are so weak they are more prone to infections,” he said.
The education system has virtually collapsed; schools are closed for students and are often used for military camps and shelters for refugees. About two million Yemini children have dropped out of school since 2015.
Thousands of drop-out boys within the age group of 10-12 years have been recruited to fight with the rebel groups. In some areas, more than half of the girls are married before the age of 15.
Inadequate relief:
The UN has warned that international aid agencies are losing the fight against famine in Yemen. Qu Dongyu, director general, Food and Agriculture Organisation, said, “The number of acutely food-insecure people in Yemen is expected to exceed 17 million.” The humanitarian operation assists more than 10 million people every month.
However, without additional funding, life-saving programmes will soon be forced to reduce or even close in what is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. According to UN, more than 30 of its 41 programmes in the country could close in weeks without funding.
