“We Are Starving”

This is what life has been like in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen since a civil war began there in 2015. The fighting started when a rebel group overthrew the nation’s government. A military coalition led by the neighboring country of Saudi Arabia has been fighting the rebels ever since in support of the ousted administration. The near-daily airstrikes and bombings have destroyed roads, bridges, and entire villages. About 18,000 Yemeni civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting.

The war has also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Some 14 million people—half of Yemen’s population—are facing starvation. The aid group Save the Children estimates that 85,000 Yemeni children have starved to death since the war began—a number that is likely to grow. Meanwhile, the United Nations (U.N.) has said the situation could soon lead to the worst famine the world has seen in 100 years. A famine is an extreme lack of food in a region, which causes mass starvation and death (see "Understanding World Famines," below).

“This is not a country on the brink of a catastrophe,” says David Beasley, director of the U.N.’s World Food Program. “This is a country that is in catastrophe.”

This is what life has been like in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen since a civil war began there in 2015. The fighting started when a rebel group overthrew the nation’s government. A military coalition has been fighting the rebels ever since. It is led by the neighboring country of Saudi Arabia. And it is in support of the ousted administration. The airstrikes and bombings occur almost daily. They have destroyed roads, bridges, and entire villages. About 18,000 Yemeni civilians have been killed or injured in the fighting.

The war has also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Some 14 million people are facing starvation. That is half of Yemen’s population. The aid group Save the Children estimates that 85,000 Yemeni children have starved to death since the war began. That number is likely to grow. Meanwhile, the United Nations (U.N.) has said the situation could soon lead to the worst famine the world has seen in 100 years. A famine is an extreme lack of food in a region. It causes mass starvation and death (see “Understanding World Famines,” below).

“This is not a country on the brink of a catastrophe,” says David Beasley. He is director of the U.N.’s World Food Program. “This is a country that is in catastrophe.”

Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, has long been unstable. It has a lengthy history of internal conflict, and over the years it’s been a breeding ground for several terrorist groups.

In the past decade, Yemen has been further destabilized by the rise of a Shia Muslim rebel group called the Houthis. In 2014, they captured Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. They took control of much of the northern part of the country. Yemen’s president and his staff, meanwhile, fled south to the port city of Aden. With each side claiming to be the nation’s true government, the standoff sparked a civil war that began in March 2015.

Almost immediately, Saudi Arabia jumped into the chaos. The country, which borders Yemen, sees Houthi control of its neighbor as a threat. The Houthis are backed by Saudi Arabia’s longtime adversary, Iran. (Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim country, and Iran, like the Houthis, is Shia. The two branches of Islam have long been at odds.) So Saudi Arabia and other nearby countries launched a full-scale military assault against the Houthi rebels in Yemen that is still in full force today.

Further complicating the situation is U.S. involvement. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are longtime allies. The Saudi military has been carrying out devastating airstrikes in Yemen with the help of U.S. intelligence and American-made weapons.

Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. It has long been unstable. It has a lengthy history of internal conflict. Over the years, it has been a breeding ground for several terrorist groups.

In the past decade, Yemen has been made more unstable by the rise of a Shia Muslim rebel group called the Houthis. In 2014, they captured Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. They took control of much of the northern part of the country. Yemen’s president and his staff fled south to the port city of Aden. Each side claimed to be the nation’s true government. The standoff sparked a civil war that began in March 2015.

Almost immediately, Saudi Arabia jumped into the chaos. That country borders Yemen. So it sees Houthi control of its neighbor as a threat. The Houthis are backed by Iran, Saudi Arabia’s longtime adversary. (Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim country. Iran, like the Houthis, is Shia. The two branches of Islam have long been at odds.) So Saudi Arabia and other nearby countries launched a full-scale military attack against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It is still in full force today.

Further complicating the situation is U.S. involvement. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are longtime allies. The Saudi military has been carrying out devastating airstrikes in Yemen with the help of U.S. intelligence and American-made weapons.

But it’s not just the fighting that’s causing Yemen’s crisis. Many experts say there’s a war on the economy that is starving Yemeni citizens as well.

Before the conflict began, Yemen imported roughly 80 percent of its food. Water is scarce in the region’s dry, desert climate, which makes it difficult for Yemenis to grow their own crops.

To sabotage Houthi-controlled areas, Saudi Arabia has imposed blockades on Yemen’s borders. This has dramatically halted imports of food, fuel, and other essential goods that Yemeni citizens rely on. The blockades have also kept aid groups from delivering emergency supplies and have prevented Yemen’s fishermen from going out on their boats to earn a living.

The country isn’t completely without food, however. Some imports do make it in. But because they’re in higher demand, their prices have soared. As a result, many Yemenis can no longer afford to buy even a loaf of bread. Doctors and teachers have been forced to sell their gold or cars just to feed their families.

And when relief aid manages to trickle into Houthi-controlled areas, rebel commanders often keep it for themselves or their families.

“Most people think that famines are caused by food shortages,” explains Daniel Maxwell, a food security professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts. “That’s sometimes true, but usually famines result when people can’t get access to food—either by buying it or receiving it from aid groups. War is often the direct cause of famine.”

But it is not just the fighting that is causing Yemen’s crisis. Many experts say there is a war on the economy that is starving Yemeni citizens as well.

Before the conflict began, Yemen imported roughly 80 percent of its food. Water is scarce in the region’s dry, desert climate. That makes it difficult for Yemenis to grow their own crops.

To sabotage Houthi-controlled areas, Saudi Arabia has set up blockades on Yemen’s borders. This has dramatically halted imports of food, fuel, and other essential goods that Yemeni citizens rely on. The blockades have also kept aid groups from delivering emergency supplies. And they have prevented Yemen’s fishermen from going out on their boats to earn a living.

Yemen is not completely without food. Some imports do make it in. But they are in higher demand, so their prices have soared. As a result, many Yemenis can no longer afford to buy even a loaf of bread. Doctors and teachers have been forced to sell their gold or cars just to feed their families.

When relief aid does manage to reach Houthi-controlled areas, rebel commanders often keep it for themselves or their families.

“Most people think that famines are caused by food shortages,” explains Daniel Maxwell. He is a food security professor at Tufts University in Massachusetts. “That’s sometimes true, but usually famines result when people can’t get access to food—either by buying it or receiving it from aid groups. War is often the direct cause of famine.”

Ali Al-Hajaji knows that firsthand. He lives with his family in Juberia, a small village in Yemen. He used to work in nearby Saudi Arabia as a laborer. But when the war started, the border closed and he lost his job. 

Hajaji grew alarmed as food prices began to soar. Some villagers sold their belongings to pay for groceries. But Hajaji had nothing to sell. He was forced to scale back his family’s diet to just tea and boiled leaves.

His 4-year-old son, Shaadi, was the first to get sick. He began showing classic symptoms of malnutrition, including frequent vomiting. Hajaji could not take the boy to a hospital because he couldn’t afford the trip. 

Last September, Shaadi died from hunger. “I can barely buy a piece of stale bread,” Hajaji told reporters. “That’s why my children are dying before my eyes.”

Ali Al-Hajaji knows that firsthand. He lives with his family in Juberia. That is a small village in Yemen. He used to work in nearby Saudi Arabia as a laborer. But when the war started, the border closed and he lost his job.

Hajaji grew alarmed as food prices began to soar. Some villagers sold their belongings to pay for groceries. But Hajaji had nothing to sell. He was forced to reduce his family’s diet to just tea and boiled leaves.

His 4-year-old son, Shaadi, was the first to get sick. He began showing classic symptoms of malnutrition. For example, he vomited frequently. Hajaji could not take the boy to a hospital. He could not afford the trip.

Last September, Shaadi died from hunger. “I can barely buy a piece of stale bread,” Hajaji told reporters. “That’s why my children are dying before my eyes.”

Yemenis like Hajaji and Abrar—the girl clinging to life in the hospital—are enduring terrible tragedies. But the fact that the media is starting to report their stories is helping the world become more aware of the crisis in Yemen. 

For years, little was known about the war, partly because few journalists have been allowed into the country. But now, with every story of suffering shared, more pressure is being placed on the international community to help resolve the conflict.

Recently, the Saudis and Houthis met in Sweden for peace talks. They agreed to a cease-fire in Al Hudaydah, a key port city in Yemen through which 80 percent of the country’s imports are delivered. Both parties said they would withdraw from the city, but as this issue went to press, neither had.

Still, many experts say a resolution to the conflict is possible—if the U.S. forces the Saudi coalition to stop its military campaign. There are signs that Americans are starting to call for just that. A recent survey found that 75 percent of American respondents were opposed to the U.S. selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. What’s more, the U.S. House of Representatives voted earlier this year to end military aid to the country. As this issue went to press, the bill was before the U.S. Senate for a vote.

That gives hope to people like Shireen Al-Adeimi. A professor at Michigan State University, she is originally from Yemen and has family caught in the conflict.

The war in Yemen “can only end when the U.S. withdraws its support of the Saudis,” she says. “We must confront our government’s role in creating this man-made catastrophe.” 

Yemenis like Hajaji and Abrar, the girl clinging to life in the hospital, are enduring terrible tragedies. But the media is starting to report their stories. That is helping the world become more aware of the crisis in Yemen.

For years, little was known about the war. That is partly because few journalists have been allowed into the country. But now, stories of suffering are being shared. More pressure is being placed on the international community to help resolve the conflict.

Recently, the Saudis and Houthis met in Sweden for peace talks. They agreed to a cease-fire in Al Hudaydah. That is a key port city in Yemen through which 80 percent of the country’s imports are delivered. Both parties said they would withdraw from the city. But as this issue went to press, neither had.

Still, many experts say a resolution to the conflict is possible if the U.S. forces the Saudi coalition to stop its military campaign. There are signs that Americans are starting to call for just that. A recent survey found that 75 percent of American respondents were opposed to the U.S. selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. What is more, the U.S. House of Representatives voted earlier this year to end military aid to the country. As this issue went to press, the bill was before the U.S. Senate for a vote.

That gives hope to people like Shireen Al-Adeimi. She is a professor at Michigan State University. She is originally from Yemen. And she has family caught in the conflict.

The war in Yemen “can only end when the U.S. withdraws its support of the Saudis,” she says. “We must confront our government’s role in creating this man-made catastrophe.”