In the Yemeni city of Taiz, besieged by mountains and rebel Houthi fighters, a small, rugged lane known as al-Rasheed Street epitomizes the relentless conflict often overlooked by the world. This distressing scenario is especially hard for the younger generation unable to break free from the cycle of violence.
Guiding us through this street, while skillfully avoiding potholes, is a slender seven-year-old boy, Bader al-Harbi, balancing on crutches. The war in Yemen is as old as him. Having lost his right leg above the knee, Bader, donning a T-shirt bearing the word “Sport”, represents the cruel irony of his situation.
Bader, sitting on cinder blocks in the backyard of his family house, exposes his amputated leg. His surviving foot is bare. His elder brother Hashim, who shares Bader’s pain and silence, keeps him company.
With a severely damaged right foot and a missing thumb, Hashim constantly fidgets with his hands, as if attempting to erase the scars of trauma.
Their father, al-Harbi Nasser al-Majnahi, narrates how Houthi shelling injured his boys on their way home from school one October morning last year.
Their lives have been on hold ever since; the boys have not returned to school. The incident has psychologically completely transformed their existence; they no longer interact with their peers, grappling with disabilities, fear, and issues.
Despite his youth, nine-year-old Hashim expresses a desire to resume his education. Bader too shares this wish, but he doubts his capability to return due to his amputated leg.
Their father can’t afford to enroll them in the upcoming school year, unable to cover transportation costs or relocate his family to a safer location. Forced to stay where they are, they live each day in fear.
The civil war in Yemen, exacerbated by regional powers backing different factions, continues to devastate the country. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia supports Yemen’s internationally recognized but frail government, while Shia Iran stands behind the Houthi movement, known as Ansar Allah.
In 2014, the Houthis overthrew the government and took over the capital, Sanaa. The subsequent intervention by a Saudi-led coalition, backed by the UK and the US, has been futile in restoring government power even after eight years and countless air strikes.
Meanwhile, children like Bader and Hashim, residing on the battlefront in Taiz, continue to endure the sounds and fears of the ongoing war. Explosions and sniper attacks terrorize their neighborhood, leaving them in constant fear of their home being destroyed.
