WiRED Notes Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Is Global Calamity

BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN

According to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, “Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As the conflict enters its fourth year, more than 22 million people — three-quarters of the population — need humanitarian aid and protection.”

 

Yemen is already one of the poorest countries in the Near East. Today, Yemen’s population is being devastated by the war being waged there between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

 

Infectious diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever are spreading rapidly, posing a direct threat to families, especially children, in every home in Yemen. The nation is experiencing the world’s largest cholera outbreak. The World Health Organization reports that war, a deteriorating economy, little or no access to water and poor sanitation have resulted in more than one million suspected cholera cases since the April 2017 outbreak.

 

We urge people not to skip over the news from Yemen, and we can only hope that the United States and other governments do whatever they can to put a stop to the senseless violence and human suffering in Yemen.

The United Nations Children’s Fund states that nearly 2 million children have dropped out of school since 2015, and three-quarters of public school teachers have not been paid their salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk. Since children are also in danger of being killed en route to school, many parents keep them at home. The lack of access to education has pushed children and families to opt for dangerous alternatives, including early marriage, child labor and recruitment into the fighting.

 

WiRED’s board and staff are heartbroken by the tragic conditions in Yemen. With the flood of news from so many quarters, it’s easy to lose sight of these tragic events more than 7,000 miles away. We urge people not to skip over the news from Yemen, and we can only hope that the United States and other governments do whatever they can to put a stop to the senseless violence and human suffering in Yemen.

 

 

Yemen by the Numbers
Source: United Nations

 

Poverty

 

People in Need

 

Food Security

 

Health

 

Water and Sanitation

 

Nutrition

 

Education

 

Gender

 

Displacement

 

Economy