The Middle Eastern country of Yemen is currently experiencing famine-like conditions that is putting the lives of millions of civilians in danger.
Yemenis are struggling to find the necessary food to eat because of the ongoing civil war that is ravaging their country. According to the World Food Programme, 17 million Yemenis suffer from food insecurity with roughly 70% of those being severely food insecure. That means that more than 60% of the country is struggling with food insecurity.
Due to the conflict, there has been a serious lack of imports into Yemen. However, Yemenis receive 90% of their staple foods from imports because most of the country is not able to grow food. Without those imports, malnutrition and food insecurity has become a huge issue.
This humanitarian crisis has been significantly worsened by the actions of the Saudi Arabian government who has been leading a series of bombing campaigns in Yemen since 2015. Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign has devastated the Yemenis’ food supply, with attacks having targeted key areas of food supply to the country, such as farms, markets, key roads, and ports within the country. These attacks have made it almost impossible for food to be distributed throughout the country, leaving Yemenis extremely vulnerable to malnutrition.
However, the Saudi bombing campaign wouldn’t be nearly as successful if it wasn’t for the assistance of the United States. The United States has continuously supplied the war effort with arms sales and by refueling jets used in the bombings. In May, President Donald Trump signed a $110 billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia to supply additional military supplies that will go towards the war effort in Yemen. The United States support for the war within Yemen continues to put civilians at risk.
As the death toll in Yemen continues to rise it is well past time for the United States to re-evaluate its support for Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni war.
If you are interested in donating to help provide food to those affected by the crisis, please consider donating to one of these charities.