Once known as the “Fortunate Arabia”, Yemen was known for its strategic port at the entrance of the Red Sea. Today it is one of the poorest countries in the world. The north and south of Yemen were governed separately until 1990 and the conflict that now rages has been fueled by the divide. Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sana’a in an attempted coup in late 2014. This crisis escalated in March 2015 with the help of a Saudi- led coalition with the support of the US, UK and a dozen other Arab states on behalf of President Abrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s former government. The coalition launched an air strike in aid of the Yemeni government in an attempt to maintain control over the country and push back the rebels.

The war in Yemen has been a humanitarian catastrophe. Hunger and fighting have led to mass famine, waves of refugees and malnutrition among children. According to the UN, 14 million Yemenis are at risk of severe starvation, while 2 million have been displaced.

According to the National Geographic, Yemenis are forced to take dangerous decisions to find medical treatment. Most of the hospitals are closed or partly functioning. Infectious diseases such as cholera and diphtheria are rampant. Kristine Beckerle of Human Rights Watch comments that doctors and other health workers at public hospitals have not been paid since 2016. A Saudi-led coalition blockade on the country’s airports and ports attempt to stop supplies from reaching. She also adds that both sides “are weaponising aid”.

On 17 December, the UN announced a ceasefire in the contested city of Hudaydah. This ceasefire is seen as the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts since the war started in 2014. The talks were held in Sweden where a number of confidence-building steps were agreed between the warring sides. This also includes a planned swap of 16,000 detainees. The United Nations Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths hopes to get the Security Council to pass a resolution supporting the latest peace efforts on the back of a surge in international attention in recent weeks and with the US Senate voting to end all military support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. The Security Council is considering a resolution, drafted by Britain, that calls for a peace-monitoring force in Hudaydah to be put forward by the end of the month. For the agreement to stick, international pressure on the situation must continue. The role of the US will be critical.

Louis Charbonneau, the UN director for Human Rights Watch, said the resolution,

“sends an important message to the suffering people of Yemen that they haven’t been forgotten.”

 

 

 

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