So, what initially led to the famishing of nearly 13 million people? The answer is civil war. The fighting can be traced back to the handover of power from long-time autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to his deputy and current president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in November 2011. Saleh was forced to stand down in a bid to return stability to the country following the Arab Spring, a series of uprisings across the MENA region. Since there were lots of problems in Yemen during that period including attacks by Jihadists, Hadi struggled to deal with them. Meanwhile, a movement known as The Houthi movement aroused, taking control of the country’s northern heartland of Saada province and neighbouring areas. With all of this going on, the country is also affected by COVID-19, as of Tuesday, 4 August, Yemen has recorded 1,738 cases and 500 deaths. Aside from the threat of COVID-19, Yemen is also suffering an outbreak of the mosquito-transmitted Chikungunya Virus. There are also more than 100,000 known cholera cases across the nation.
What can I do to help?
The United Nations (UN) has put out an appeal for donations amidst growing fears regarding the situation in Yemen. It comes as COVID-19 spreads rapidly throughout the country’s population, which has already been devastated by years of war. A number of charities are running campaigns to raise money for the people affected by the war. The civil war is considered one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world right now, with millions affected.
Stay safe, people. Written by: Mariam Ibrahim