Following US Pressure, Aid to Yemen Falls to Just 25 Cents Per Day
Secretary of State Pompeo successfully pressured the UN to significantly cut
back aid to one of the world's poorest countries, claiming it could fall
into rebel hands.
by Alan Macleod
October 07th, 2020
By Alan Macleod
Home to what the United Nations has described as "the world's worst
humanitarian crisis," Yemen is on the brink of total disaster after five
years of protracted war. Yet crucial international aid to the country has
been cut this year to just 25 cents per person, per day, around half of what
was given in 2019. That money translates to just 200 grams (less than half a
pound) of beans, three eggs, or 200ml of cooking oil inside the country,
where food prices are soaring.
The aid has been channeled primarily through the United Nations. But the
organization warns that what they received is less than half of what is
necessary to supply clean water, food, shelter, and medicine to the 24
million people (80 percent of the population) who need humanitarian
assistance.
Much of the blame for the drop in aid can be placed at the door of the
United States with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo publicly pressuring the
U.N. to scale back humanitarian assistance to the country in an attempt to
starve the rebels of aid. In March, Pompeo traveled to U.N. headquarters to
meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make his case.
Oxfam's Yemen Country Director, Muhsin Siddiquey, pleaded with the
international community to do more to help the country. "While the economic
fallout unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected every corner of the
globe, in Yemen millions are on the brink of starvation. Yemenis cannot
afford aid to be cut, people need more help to survive, not less," he said.
Cashing in on a crisis
Furthermore, the countries that have contributed the most in aid - the
United States, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates -
are the very same ones directing the onslaught against Yemen, with Saudi and
Emirati troops leading the fight, supported by British and American arms
sales and political cover. Saudi Arabia, for example, is responsible for 49
percent of all weapons purchases, while it has committed to buying $350
billion worth of U.S. arms in the coming years. This economic power has
allowed the four to play politics with international aid, directing to
groups that allow them to advance their agenda instead of where it is needed
most.
"Countries should stop cashing in on this appalling humanitarian crisis and
instead put people's lives above arms manufacturers' profit," Siddiquey
said. "The Yemenis who've had to flee their homes, go without food and clean
water, and endure outbreaks of disease need a nationwide ceasefire and
inclusive peace talks to end this war so they can rebuild their lives."
The World Bank has warned of a "famine of biblical proportions," with over
20 million people also lacking access to clean water. Because of the lack of
funds, the U.N. has had to reduce services at 300 health and food
distribution centers across Yemen. These sites are already in short supply,
as the Saudi-led coalition intentionally targets their Yemeni counterparts,
attacking water or medical facilities once every ten days on average since
the war began in 2014.
Two-thirds of all districts in the country are already pre-famine, the U.N.
explains, and one-third face a convergence of multiple acute
vulnerabilities. These include deadly outbreaks of cholera and COVID-19.
Officially, the country has seen only 2,047 COVID-19 cases and cholera
numbers have dropped from last year. But, as Oxfam warned, these low figures
do not show that the country has the epidemics under control. Quite the
opposite: it shows their embattled health systems have been completely
overwhelmed and are unable to record the devastation wrought.
Oxfam: Saudis Carry Out Equivalent of One Attack Every Ten Days on Yemen's
Medical and Water Facilities
According to Oxfam, Saudi Arabia carries out the equivalent of "one air raid
every 10 days affecting hospitals and water facilities in Yemen.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Aug 19
From Arab Spring to Abraham Accord
While the conflict has its origins in the 2011 Arab Spring, the war
officially began three years later, when armed Shia Houthi rebels rose up
against what they saw as a corrupt and undemocratic government led by
Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Hadi initially fled the country but was given strong
support by Saudi Arabia, other Gulf monarchies, and Western powers, who
accused Iran of arming and funding the Houthis. However, without many boots
on the ground, they have been unable to dislodge the Houthis from their
strongholds in the populous south and west of the country, preferring to
bomb the country from above. While the official death toll of the war stands
at over 100,000, most believe this is a serious underestimate.
Unfortunately, the war is unlikely to cool down in the foreseeable future.
The recently signed Abraham Accord between Bahrain, the U.A.E., and Israel,
for example, allows for the transfer of high-tech American and Israeli
weaponry to the Gulf states, who will doubtless be keen to use it in Yemen.
"The U.A.E. is one of the central protagonists in the cataclysmic war of
aggression against Yemen," Greg Shupak of the University of Guelph, Ontario,
told MintPress. "So there is a strong possibility that it will unleash these
killing machines on the impoverished Yemeni population that it has already
done so much to devastate.Likewise, increased intelligence sharing between
Israel and the U.A.E. could entail Israel helping the U.A.E. having more,
and possibly more advanced, information that it can use to maim and kill
Yemenis."
Abraham Accord: Experts Warn Trump Peace Deal a Precursor to War with Iran
Experts warn that the Abraham Accord is motivated most by a desire to secure
a united front against Iran for a potential future war.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | 02:35 PM
Despite promising to draw down its role in the conflict, Sudan is sending
hundreds of more troops to the country via Saudi Arabia. A foreign ministry
spokesperson also recently revealed that the country is in talks with Israel
to normalize relations. Saudi Arabia has also recently begun building a
military base in the Hawf nature reserve in eastern Yemen, a crucial oasis
in the largely arid country. As always, there appears to be plenty of money
for weapons, but not enough for crucial humanitarian aid.
