Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Caroline Coyle
Mr. Phillips
AP English III
5 December 2018
For over three years, the nation Yemen has existed in a state of turmoil. The government
was upturned, and the president driven out of the capital Sanaa by Houthi rebels. Ever since, the
country has been embedded in war. Saudi Arabia began a military intervention soon after,
organizing a coalition of forces from multiple countries to eradicate the Houthi rebels. However,
war consistently impacts innocents, and over a few years, the horrifying impacts of the war have
made themselves known to the Yemeni people. Much of Yemen's population has experienced
starvation, suffered through an extreme cholera epidemic, or fallen victim to airstrikes, all which
are exacerbated by—or are direct results from—the warring Houthi fighters and the Saudi
Arabian-led coalition, and insufficient aid situations mean that they will likely persist until the
fighting ceases.
Ali Al Mujahed and Sudarsan Raghavan wrote in a Washington Post article that returning
Yemen's government to its previous status has been the Saudi-led coalition's goal from the start.
Despite that objective, conflict still persists in the country, and it has had devastating impacts on
the lives of Yemeni civilians. Frequently, reports contain startling figures which show the extent
that the war has reduced the quality of life in Yemen. A report from United Nations investigators
details how the Saudi-led coalition and the UAE have "killed thousands of civilians in airstrikes,
tortured detainees, raped civilians and used child soldiers as young as 8." (Cumming-Bruce) The
Washington Post editorial board described how the 2015 Yemen intervention had originally
intended to disperse the Houthi rebels occupying Yemen's capital, yet since then, "Saudi
Coyle 2
airstrikes that have hit schools, mosques, markets, weddings, (and) funerals," have wounded and
caused the deaths of the better part of 16 thousand people. Airstrikes on and near public spaces
such as hospitals and markets have created significant problems for many Yemeni people, some
The Saudi-led coalition has intentionally set airstrikes on civilian buildings, even some
that have been declared as off limits to strike targets. In a statement published by the New York
Times, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wrote that "according to the independent monitoring
group Yemen Data Project, between March 2015 and March 2018, more than 30 percent of the
Saudi-led coalition's targets have been nonmilitary." It is unlikely that the coalition has attacked
civilian locations out of confusion or malice, but rather because of the actions of their opponents.
The Houthi rebels have frequently used humanitarian buildings such as hospitals as spaces to
store weapons and shelter fighters. Such structures fall under a "no-strike" list, meaning troops
must exclude them from attacks. These Houthi strategies, however, "can turn the buildings into
legitimate military targets." (Kalfood and Walsh) When such measures are taken, devastating
impacts become apparent. Save the Children reported that many hospitals were deliberately
attacked, and such damage to the health care sector has spurred "the largest single-year outbreak
of (cholera) ever recorded." (Specia) With such troubling impacts, the ethics of decisions to
attack buildings housing medical services should be called into question, especially when a war
Wars are costly endeavors. They regularly impose negative impacts on the financial
situations of the citizens of a country. A report by the United Nations says that the Saudi
Arabian-led coalition has "certainly contributed to Yemen's dire economic and humanitarian
situation" (Cumming-Bruce) with an approximated 18 thousand airstrikes in the past three years.
Coyle 3
Declan Walsh, reporter for the New York Times, has witnessed the impacts of Yemen's
deteriorating economy. He writes that "aid experts and United Nations officials say a more
insidious form of warfare is also being waged in Yemen, an economic war that is exacting a far
greater toll on civilians and now risks tipping the country into a famine of catastrophic
proportions." (Walsh) Walsh says that airstrikes and bombings can destroy places of work,
diminishing the number of jobs in the area, which increases prices of goods such as food, and
ends up "forcing families to abstain from meat, then vegetables." (Walsh) In an article of his,
Walsh explained that people have resorted to other means of income to pay to feed themselves.
A daughter's hand in marriage typically comes with a bride price in Yemen. Some families under
particular strain for money have married off daughters, many under age 18, to acquire more
currency. Viewing how times of war and conflict drive people to distressing lengths for meals
Yemen is not the first instance of a war being a central element of food shortages or
famine. In an article for Inter Press Service, Tharanga Yakupitiyage describes how in 60 percent
of the 124 million instances of crisis-level food insecurity found in the 2017 Global Report on
Food Crises, conflict was determined to be the primary factor. Mohammed Ali Kalfood and
Declan Walsh wrote in their article that "Yemen's crisis, already grave for several years, has
recently deteriorated so rapidly that the United Nations has warned that 14 million people, or half
the population, could soon be on the brink of starvation." Statements similar to this are startling
to many, and it causes much aggravation to discover that one easily identifiable source generates
a vast portion of this issue. Mark Green, administrator of USAID, says "conflict-related hunger is
one of the most visible manifestations to human suffering emerging from war... this suffering is
preventable and thus all the more tragic." (qtd. In Yakupitiyage) For all the frustration felt at the
Coyle 4
detriment to the Yemeni people by the war between the Houthi fighters and the Saudi-led
coalition, it can be even worse to hear that the war simultaneously prevents proper aid from
Wars can often make it difficult for aid workers to reach those requiring it, especially
when fighting becomes rampant in areas densely populated by civilians. People can become
wary about establishing aid centers and caches of supplies when they fear that conflict will
destroy them. Declan Walsh and Mohammed Ali Kalfood described Yemen's current position by
saying that aid workers warn that in many places, "the country's main humanitarian lifeline hangs
by a thread." Statements such as these become much more concerning when people explain how
vital aid has become in places similar to Yemen. Jonathan Broder writes that the number of
Yemeni people who have become reliant on international aid for supplies needed to survive has
become about 22 million, which is over 75 percent of the country's population, and many can't
receive aid due to blockage from the war. In the Los Angeles Times, Lee Keath describes that
Hodeida, a large port city in Yemen, is nearly surrounded by the Saudi-led coalition's troops,
effectively confining tens of thousands of citizens to the area. If the port were to experience a
total disconnect from support efforts, it could incite millions of fatalities, because vital
provisions and humanitarian support would primarily be cut off. Hodeida exists as an entry point
for a significant amount of supplies and relief, and with it almost completely surrounded,
"civilian casualties are again mounting amid their assaults and shelling." (Mujahed and
Raghavan) It becomes clear that this war has harmed the people of Yemen in many ways. The
prevention of aid opportunities by the coalition meant to help the country is arguably the lowest
among them.
Coyle 5
However, some don't view the actions of the Saudi-led coalition as harmful to the nation
of Yemen, even encouraging support of their actions through supplying the coalition with
ammunition and equipment. Michael R. Pompeo, United States Secretary of State, made a
statement on why he believes the United States is right for helping supply the coalition. "The
kingdom of Saudi Arabia has invested billions to relieve suffering in Yemen," Pompeo wrote.
Yet when others observe the results of conflict in Yemen, a far different conclusion is reached.
The Washington Post editorial board published an article on the subject, stating that a declaration
that the Saudis take all precautions to avoid killing civilians "flies in the face of the conclusions
of virtually all other observers of the Yemen war." There has been a host of information reported
about atrocities that Yemeni citizens are experiencing, and it becomes doubtful that those who
claim the Saudi-led coalition's actions have been entirely beneficial to Yemen care for the lives
of those being affected. Reports from the United Nations, firsthand accounts, and secondhand
evaluations largely come to the consensus that the Yemen war has been disastrous for the
It remains highly doubtful that the condition Yemen is in will be able to improve without
a serious shift in the actions between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels. For a while
now, the United Nations has been attempting to stimulate peace negotiations between the two
sides, and such mediations could begin in the near future. Bel Trew of the Independent wrote
earlier this year that proclamations made by the political leader of the Houthi rebels, Mohammed
Ali al-Houthi, called for a halt to attacks on Saudi Arabia. The statements, along with peace
efforts made by the UN, have "marked some of the strongest ever commitments from both sides
to move towards a solution to the conflict which has raged for the last three and a half years."
(Trew) Whether peace negotiations will begin is still yet to be seen, but the current turn of events
Coyle 6
is promising. It now remains imperative that all parties involved in the conflict act wisely and
work towards an outcome that will lead to the restoration of Yemen's economy and living
conditions.
Coyle 7
Works Cited
Broder, Jonathan. "Yemen Civil War: U.S. Lawmakers Raise Alarm Bells about Pentagon's.."
Cumming-Bruce, Nick. "U.N. Report on War Crimes Faults Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. in
Yemen." New York Times, 29 Aug. 2018, pp. A. 9. SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://sks.sirs.com.
"Flouting Congress and the Evidence." Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2018, pp. A.18. SIRS Issues
Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.
Kalfood, Mohammad Ali and Declan Walsh. "As Famine Looms in Yemen, Saudi-Led Coalition
Keath, Lee. “Civilian death toll in Yemen mounting despite US assurances.” Los Angeles Times.
Mujahed, Ali A., and Sudarsan Raghavan. "Experts: End of U.S. Refueling Flights Unlikely to
Alter Yemen War." Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2018, pp. A.22. SIRS Issues Researcher,
https://sks.sirs.com.
Pompeo, Michael R. "The U.S.-Saudi Partnership is Vital." U.S.Dept.of State, 27 Nov. 2018.
Sanders, Bernie. "We must Stop Helping the Saudis in Yemen." New York Times, 25 Oct. 2018,
Specia, Megan. "Yemen's War is Tragic. is it also a Crime Against Humanity?" New York
"The Only Way to Help Yemen." Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2018, pp. A.20. SIRS Issues
Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.
Coyle 8
Trew, Bel. “Yemen government agrees to UN peace talks after Houthi leader calls for halt to
Walsh, Declan. “The Tragedy of Saudi Arabia’s War.” New York Times. 26 Oct. 2018.
http://nytimes.com.
Walsh, Declan. “In Yemen, Lavish Meals for Few, Starvation for Many and a Dilemma for
Yakupitiyage, Tharanga. "Without Food Security, there is no Peace." Inter Press Service, 27 Sep.