• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Saturday, May 28, 2022
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Yemen’s Catch-22: Numbers Capture Conflict’s Scale but Dehumanize its Victims

Sophia Dingli by Sophia Dingli
06/07/19
in Opinion
A Yemeni child suffering from malnutrition lies on a bed at a treatment centre in a hospital in the capital Sanaa

As a result of the violence, disease, and food insecurity, a Yemeni child dies every 11 minutes and 54 seconds. Photo: Mohammed Huwais/AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The scale of the devastation which has befallen Yemen is hard to fathom. Since March 2015, over 70,000 people have died in combat. The total deaths are estimated to reach 233,000 by the end of this year.

About 15.9 million of Yemen’s 29 million population is facing food insecurity, of which 5 million are at a “crisis” point and 63,500 are facing famine. Between January and April 2019, 150,000 new cholera cases were reported in the country.

As a result of the violence, disease, and food insecurity, a Yemeni child dies every 11 minutes and 54 seconds.

Behind the Numbers 

These numbers are staggering, but they have failed to captivate the attention of international audiences. A reason for this is that while numbers may capture the scale of the disaster, they also dehumanize its victims. Herein lies the crucial catch-22 for anyone reporting or commenting on the Yemeni war.

Numbers hardly register because we forget the humans behind the numbers. This is especially true for the Middle East, which generations of Western audiences only know as a dark space which produces terrorism, war, violence, and oppression. When violence materializes in this part of the world, it surprises no one.

Map and factfile on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Western audiences assume that no life, joy, creativity or culture – in short, nothing good – has ever come or will ever come from this space. This might explain people’s surprise and often outrage at the mere fact that life goes on in Yemen, that people keep getting married, keep celebrating, and keep having children.

Re-Humanizing Yemenis

Journalists reporting from the frontlines in Yemen provide us with a way of re-humanizing the Yemeni war. They do so by introducing Yahia al-Hassbi, a 14-year-old boy who was struck dead by a U.S. drone while tending his goats. Through journalists’ work we met Farouk Baakar, a young medic tortured for 18 months because he took a selfie with a man he was treating, and who now lives in a tent taking care of refugees. Recently, we also became familiar with Maad al-Zekri, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has been instrumental in reporting on different facets of the war and who was prevented from entering the United States to receive his award.

It is also worth revisiting the Happy Yemen video produced 10 months before the war started, which features Yemenis of all ages singing and dancing to Pharrell Williams’ song Happy.

This, as well as other works by Yemeni artists, effectively affirms Yemenis’ humanity, prompting us to consider the actual scale of the catastrophe more effectively than numbers alone ever could.

Man-Made Disaster

The fate that has befallen millions of brutalized Yemenis is entirely man-made. It is not only that the war is an entirely unnatural disaster, but that even when humanitarian aid enters the country, it often does not reach the needy. Both cholera vaccines and food aid have been diverted away from disloyal areas, used to punish or blackmail populations and/or have been stolen and sold at the black market.

To add to the picture, all parties to the Yemeni war have been recruiting and using child soldiers as young as 10. Furthermore, reports suggest that torture, including rape, is widespread across the country’s prisons.

Heartbreaking video of a child soldier captured while fighting for Houthis n Baihan, Shabwa, last week. Child is n 9th grade & is from Dhamar province. According to UN, Houthis r responsible for 72% of child soldiers n #Yemen pic.twitter.com/ixqsTNLQfe

— Nadwa Dawsari (@Ndawsari) December 23, 2017

The main parties to the war, the internationally recognized government of Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi and the Houthis, have been accused of war crimes and in some cases of crimes against humanity, as have their international backers. For example, the Saudi government, which supports President Hadi, has been accused of indiscriminate and disproportionate bombing campaigns. Their ally, the United Arab Emirates, is accused of widespread torture. The U.K. and U.S. governments are accused of having knowledge of both and turning a blind eye or even actively collaborating in these acts.

Confusingly, these same governments contribute to the humanitarian effort, perhaps to legitimize their involvement in the war to international and domestic audiences.

Yemen’s Stalemate

The complexity of the Yemeni war means that humanitarian agencies are finding it particularly hard to be effective in the hell-scape. The situation has gotten so bad that the World Food Programme is threatening to stop operations in the Houthi-run northern part of the country.

Similarly, human rights organizations and journalists have been reporting on widespread torture and the use of child soldiers, almost to no avail but a few empty promises of further review.

In the meantime, those with power on the ground continue to rule through widespread coercion either by design, omission or through sheer lack of control over their forces. They refuse to enter meaningful peace negotiations. Events so far indicate that if the balance of power remains as it is, with no outright winner and international allies upholding the scale, the war and all that it entails will go on.

Young medic Farouk, journalist Maad, and millions of their compatriots will continue enduring hardship. Some will survive, some will not. Numbers alone cannot fully grasp the tragedy – remembering their humanity might.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Globe Post.
ShareTweet
Sophia Dingli

Sophia Dingli

Lecturer in International Relations, School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Glasgow

Related Posts

Yemen
World

UN Agency Says to Cut Food Aid to Yemen Due to Lack of Funds

by Staff Writer
December 22, 2021
Yemen
Middle East

At Least 50 Killed in Yemen Clashes: Military Sources

by Staff Writer
September 16, 2021
The rebels said that 45 migrants, most of them Ethiopian, were killed in the fire that took place in early March 2021.
Middle East

Yemen Rebels Admit Forces Caused Deadly Fire at Migrant Center

by Staff Writer
March 21, 2021
An ambulance outside the United Nations office in Yemen's capital Sanaa, March 7, 2021.
Middle East

At Least Eight Dead in Fire at Yemen Migrant Facility: IOM

by Staff Writer
March 8, 2021
Khaled Batarfi
Middle East

Al-Qaeda’s Leader in Yemen Under Arrest: UN Report

by Staff Writer
February 5, 2021
A Yemeni child suffering from malnutrition lies on a bed at a treatment centre in a hospital in the capital Sanaa
Middle East

UN Warns of Alarming Rise of Hunger in War-Torn Yemen

by Staff Writer
July 22, 2020
Next Post
Hurricane flooding in Houston, Texas.

As Sea Level Rise Accelerates, US Coastal Communities Brace for the Inevitable

Thousands of students and civilians staged sit-in at the heart of the Hong Kong Island for 79 days during the 2014 Umbrella Movement.

A Million Marches in Hong Kong Extradition Protest: Organizers

Recommended

The Onion

‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens’

May 25, 2022
police line

Teen Gunman Kills 15 at Texas Elementary School

May 24, 2022
refugees

More Than 100 Million People Forcibly Displaced, UN Says

May 23, 2022
Volkswagen logo

German Farmer Sues Volkswagen Over CO2 Emissions

May 20, 2022
Vladimir Putin

Russia Says Economy Grew 3.5 Percent in First Quarter

May 18, 2022
Mexico missing people

Over 100,000 People Reported Missing in Mexico, Data Reveals

May 17, 2022

Opinion

A Lebanese election official stands at a polling station

New Group Threatens Lebanese Elections… and Potentially Middle East Peace

May 18, 2022
A man holding a gun

Safely Back in USA, Land of Guns and Burgers

May 2, 2022
China Muslim Uyghurs

Unfair Politicization, Corruption, and the Death of Modern Olympism

April 23, 2022
Ukraine war

The Ukrainian Refugee Crisis and the Hierarchies of Western Compassion

April 20, 2022
Chinese leader Xi Jinping

How Wrong ‘How China Can End the War in Ukraine’ Is

April 1, 2022
Ukraine children

The War for Ukraine’s Lives and Minds

March 30, 2022
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post