Weaponisation of aid contributes to death of Yemenis

People in Yemen are not just dying, they are being left to die.

Six years into a devastating conflict, Yemen is at a tipping point and civilians are paying the price of war. More than 18,500 civilians have been killed or injured since March 2015 according to the Yemen Data Project, and at least 3.6 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict. Horrifically, more than 80 percent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance. As long as fighting continues and warring actors refuse to silence their guns, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen will persist. Yemen and its health system are on the verge of collapse. We have seen the health system shattering first-hand. Already, in 2018, we saw destroyed facilities, shortages of medicines and equipment, severe malnutrition in children, outbreaks of cholera and vaccine-preventable diseases. We visited Al-Sadaka public hospital in Aden and spoke to physicians like Dr Al-Aryshi, who headed the children’s department. She showed us the outdated incubator unit. Because of the shortage, there were two newborn babies instead of one in each incubator. We saw children hospitalised with severe acute malnutrition. Three years later, acute malnutrition threatens more than half of children under five in Yemen. We are witnessing an impending famine, coupled with economic collapse, the ongoing loss of livelihoods, and the diversion and weaponisation of humanitarian aid.