World’s Forgotten War Leads To Dire Humanitarian Crisis

After Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the recent missile intercepted above Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the civil war in Yemen came back to the forefront of media outlets.  With the whole country facing a devastating humanitarian crisis, Yemen’s civil war is starting to be known as the world’s forgotten war. According to Mark Lowcock, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “the situation in Yemen – today, right now, to the population of the country – looks like the apocalypse.”

The country is suffering from a three-year civil war between the forces loyal to President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia, and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The constant violence has created an exasperating humanitarian crisis in the country. Since the fall of 2017, more than eight million people are on the verge of extreme famine. The fighting has prevented any sort of food production within the country, and a lack of international humanitarian aid has made the situation worse.

Famine, however, is not the only health concern the country is facing. In the fall of 2017, Yemen faced the worst cholera outbreak ever, when over one million people became infected with the disease. At the beginning of 2018, another epidemic ravaged the country, as many people died because of a diphtheria outbreak in the region that infected over 500 people, with the threat to spread to many more people very quickly. The outbreak could have been prevented with immunization, but due to the inability for humanitarian aid to access the country, this situation is impossible.

In January, Mark Lowcock’s comments on the dire reality of the situation prompted a $50 million relief fund from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund. This is the largest relief fund the UNCERF has ever granted. Lowcock released a statement saying the money would be used to bolster public services, help civilians affected by the conflict, and alleviate the worsening famine.

Yemen’s civil war became worst last November when Saudi Arabia placed a tight blockade against the country. However, following extreme international pressure, and aid agencies citing the blockade as the reason for the exasperating humanitarian crisis, the blockade was loosened. Yet, with hospitals in desperate need of supplies to help those affected by the epidemics and constant air raids, the situation will get worse.

According to a recent Al-Jazeera report, over ten thousand people have been killed and three million have been displaced. As such, it is one of the worst humanitarian crisis’ in history. Yet there is still a lack of international aid to the country, and very little pressure to stop Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the region. If these circumstances are not stabilized soon, Yemen may become an unfixable situation.

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