Yemen has been embroiled in political crisis since 2011 after clashes between government forces and rebel groups escalated into open street fighting. There have been several attempts at brokering a peace that never seemed to last very long, and the country has slowly deteriorated both politically and economically.
Today, Yemen is facing a humanitarian crisis the likes of which the world has never seen. With warring al-Qaeda, Houthis, ISIS and government forces continually battling for control, there is also the Saudi blockade, as well as the threat from Egyptian and Saudi ground troops. And in the middle of all this bloodshed is the accusations directed at the U.S. for its part in the ongoing conflict.
But what do we do with the 14.4 million people, everyday folks like all of us, just trying to eat, work and stay alive in a country where no one really can be sure there is going to be a tomorrow? This is why so many millions of people in this part of the world want to leave. And it’s not just Yemen, but Somalia, Libya, Syria, and probably others.
It may be that because the U.S. is so far away that we don’t feel close to the humanitarian crisis engulfing this part of the world, but it is already affecting the European Union, and not just because of the migrant situation. The Guardian writes that Europe has historical and geographical ties to these countries, and because of this, perhaps, the EU has become a haven for the persecuted, the displaced, the homeless and the penniless from numerous less fortunate and less stable lands.
It is hard to imagine the many millions of people in the Middle East and Africa facing a severe food security crisis today. But according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) statistics, 842 million people continue to struggle with hunger every day. Some 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 per day. Each year, 2.6 million children die as a result of hunger-related causes.
But we are talking about one country, Yemen, and over half the population, 14.4 million people, are facing a real disaster. Funds are desperately needed to deliver timely aid in the April/May cereal and vegetable planting season and the summer fishing season, and vaccinate livestock before winter, the United Nations agency has warned
It is always interesting to read what the world has to say about giving humanitarian aid to the hungry in these war-torn countries. The Guardian wrote about the responsibility of Europeans in this crisis. Here are a couple comments:
If_Not_Why_Not wrote: “The Planet is already overcrowded and putting a huge strain on its very finite resources.
So many of these population tragedies are due to a total lack of contraception and or family planning. Women are not educated and not empowered. One needs to ask why the bankrupt West is morally obliged to care for this over-population.”
kisunssi had a different response: “Greater military capacity and political willingness in the West for more active and intensive intervention in the Third World has the potential both to reduce the number and duration of conflicts. Similarly, encouraging greater economic engagement in the Third World by Western companies will build national economies and improve the prospects of the indigenous populations. Like it or not, guns and capitalism are our greatest tools to spread peace and prosperity.”
No, there is no rational answer to ending the humanitarian crisis. What do you think about the world giving humanitarian aid to Yemen?
