Yemen Civilians face Famine in 19-Month Civil War

Severe malnutrition in Yemen Severe malnutrition in Yemen © Reuters

16 November 2016
A year and a half after the start of Yemen’s civil war, 80% of the population finds itself in need of humanitarian aid.

The United Nations estimate that 14 million Yemenis are suffering from food insecurity; among them, 370,000 are thought to be children under the age of 5 who are at risk of dying from starvation.

The conflict began in March 2015, following a turbulent uprising leading Yemen’s then Prime Minister Abdullah Saleh to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Plagued by food insecurity, corruption, and frequent al-Qaeda attacks, Hadi’s administration struggled to bring to Yemen the change which motivated his rise to power.

The Houthi movement, a minority Shia group from the country’s northernmost regions, subsequently took advantage of the weaknesses in Hadi’s administration and, in 2015, took control of much of the Saada province along with neighbouring areas. In 2015, forces still loyal to former President Saleh attempted to capture the entirety of Yemen, forcing Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to seek refuge abroad in March of that year. Hadi’s administration is in turn supported by a coalition comprised of Saudi Arabia and select allies of the Gulf State.

The destruction of civilian infrastructure and medical facilities which accompanied the conflict has lead to 21 million people being deprived of basic necessities. In some parts of the country, 70 percent of the population struggle to feed themselves.

The conflict’s intensity is fueled by Yemen’s strategic importance to neighboring states whose principal revenue is generated from oil. Yemen is positioned along the Bab al-Mandab strait, a waterway through which most of the world's oil shipments pass.

 

For more information read:

https://widerimage.reuters.com/story/severe-malnutrition-in-yemen?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-29319423
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/yemen-civil-war-72-hour-ceasefire-n668016
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/27/middleeast/yemen-world-food-program/

 

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