Yemen’s Houthi rebels are ignoring the humanitarian consequences of their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as international reports warn of a looming catastrophe that could threaten millions of Yemenis in areas under rebel control.
In this context, Yemeni rights groups have strongly condemned the rebels’ continued preoccupation with launching more futile and unjustified attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb, and their ongoing disregard for the scale of the disaster that could result from these repercussions and their direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions in Yemen.
“The rebels are deliberately exacerbating the suffering of the people and are always looking for excuses to undermine any political process that leads to permanent solutions,” said Waleed, a pseudonym for a lawyer living in Sana’a. “They are also exploiting the events taking place in Gaza to launch more attacks on commercial ships in international waters under the pretext of supporting Palestine.”
Amid the poor living conditions that are buffeting millions of people in areas under rebel control, the suffering has increased with rising prices, rates of hunger, poverty, and unemployment, the absence of basic services, and the return of an artificial crisis in fuel and cooking gas in Sana’a.
Widening suffering
Residents in Sana’a and other cities under rebel control have complained to Asharq Al-Awsat of a further escalation of their suffering as a result of the rebels’ continued policies of corruption, chaos, repression, extortion, and starvation.
“The suffering of the Yemenis has become even worse with the suspension of the World Food Programme’s distribution of aid in areas under rebel control since late December of last year, as a result of the rebels’ interference in its work,” said Khaled, a teacher in the city of Dhamar.
The rebels’ continued escalation comes despite a warning from the Global Network for the Early Warning of Food Crises of the worsening of the food insecurity crisis in Yemen. The network explained that half of Yemen’s population is at risk of famine at the beginning of this year.
The Early Warning Network predicted in a recent report that the percentage of the population in Yemen who will need urgent food assistance will be between 50 and 55 percent in February 2024, or more than 17 million people. This is the highest percentage of any of the 22 countries monitored in the network’s system. The network warned that the food insecurity crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world.
According to the report, Yemen will see widespread food insecurity in 2024 “according to phase 3 of the integrated classification,” which is the “crisis” phase in which families suffer from gaps in food consumption and an increase in acute malnutrition above normal. The report attributed the reasons to limited livelihood options and above-average food prices.
Deliberate disregard
While the Houthis are ignoring all warnings of the collapse of the humanitarian situation, a recent international report said that Yemen is still among the top 20 countries most at risk of new humanitarian emergencies in 2024, due to the ongoing economic collapse and rising levels of food insecurity caused by the ongoing conflict in the country for about 9 years.
The International Rescue Committee explained in a report on its annual emergency monitoring, which was recently published, that Yemen is still on the list of those countries most at risk of emergencies this year.
The report added that Yemen’s exit from the top spots on the list comes as a result of the reduction in the number of people in need of assistance from 21.6 million in 2023 to 18.2 million in 2024. However, the main reason is that the UN truce, despite its expiry since October 2022, has reduced the likelihood of a return to widespread conflict in the country.
The report pointed out that a decade of conflict has led to a significant collapse of the country’s economy and widespread poverty. It added: “The war has destroyed the economy, weakened the currency, and raised the prices of basic goods. The existence of two parallel economies has disrupted the basic functions of the macroeconomy. In addition, the Houthis’ involvement in the war in Gaza could lead to the imposition of additional sanctions that could further weaken the economy.”
Since rates of food insecurity and malnutrition are constantly high in Yemen, the committee says that Yemenis will continue to rely heavily on international assistance.
The healthcare system in Yemen is on the verge of collapse, according to the report. Sixty percent of the population (20.3 million people) lack access to healthcare, and 46 percent of healthcare facilities are either out of service or partially operational. The partial decline in vaccination rates, the high levels of malnutrition, and the difficulty of accessing
