8 Years of Saudi aggression: the killing and starving of Yemenis continues (Report)

Eight years ago, on March 26, 2015, the Saudi-American aggression coalition launched a brutal attack on Yemen and imposed an air, land, and sea blockade on the country. Throughout this period, the Yemeni people have suffered from the devastating effects of the Saudi-led aggression, under the pretext of fighting the Iranian influence in Yemen. Today, Saudi Arabia is rushing to approve the resumption of relations with Iran and reopening embassies, forgetting what the Yemeni people have suffered and continue to suffer from its aggression and blockade, which today marks the entry of the ninth year.

UN reports and international organizations have revealed that the aggression and blockade on Yemen have led to 80% of Yemenis falling below the poverty line. There are 24 million Yemenis suffering from food insecurity out of a population of 30 million, including 14 million Yemenis who are one step away from famine, two million children suffering from malnutrition, and 400,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition. A Yemeni child dies every 10 minutes, and the famine is getting worse and worse.

The tragedy of the numbers is met with a shortage of aid, as international organizations have stopped more than 37 aid programs. According to the UN, all rapid response teams in Yemen’s districts will stop performing their duties due to the lack of funding, which the UN organizations account for two-thirds of for themselves and their employees.

During the years of aggression, the health sector in Yemen collapsed, and its facilities were significantly affected by the airstrikes of the coalition on more than 537 health facilities, some of which were destroyed and others were severely damaged. In addition to the land, sea, and air blockade, which imposed restrictions on imports of medicines and health supplies, especially for tens of patients suffering from chronic diseases.

With the start of the new year, it is seen that the coalition led by America prefers maneuvering and evading the demands of the Yemeni people, which include lifting the siege on ports, airports and paying salaries. America is trying to keep the situation in a state of “neither peace nor war” while making it difficult for citizens to cope with the suffering and crisis they are experiencing economically and materially.

However, continuing this policy and oppression of the Yemeni people through siege, poverty, and hunger will naturally lead to a return to the escalation that is looming on the horizon. The situation will not remain the same, but will take different paths. The state of “neither peace nor war” that Washington and London impose as a means of undermining the resilience of the Yemeni people and destroying them cannot last longer, considering the conditions and ultimatums that Sanaa’s leadership has presented to the coalition of aggression. Ignoring the demands of the Yemeni people and neglecting them will lead to a strong escalation.

International law, humanitarian law, and the laws of war prohibit the use of starvation as a means of warfare, and the siege imposed by the coalition of aggression is disproportionate and illegal because the expected harm to civilians exceeds any apparent military benefit.

The war of starvation and siege is one of the facets of the oppressive and criminal American war against the Yemeni people. As described in the treaties and laws of the United Nations, it is a crime of genocide and comprehensiveness. Therefore, those who deliberately use starvation of civilians as a means of warfare by depriving them of essential things and preventing humanitarian aid can be tried for serious violations of international humanitarian law on charges of war crimes, and this should apply to the leaders of the Saudi-Emirati aggression coalition.

Amid international and United Nations silence, Yemen is experiencing the worst conditions, especially in terms of health, under the oppressive aggression and siege for eight years. The aggression is intensifying the prevention of diagnostic equipment, essential medicines, laboratory testing devices, and anti-serums from entering the country, in addition to the lack of spare parts for sewage treatment plants, which has caused the spread of more than 26 diseases and epidemics during the year 2022, in addition to the increasing numbers of civilian casualties.

A report issued by the Ministry of Public Health during the year 2022 stated that there are 2,106,534 cases of upper respiratory diseases, while the number of cases of lower respiratory diseases reached 760,656, with seven deaths, and the number of acute severe respiratory infections was 4,550, with 322 deaths.

The report also mentioned that 1,150,614 cases of waterborne diarrheal diseases resulted in 46 deaths, and the number of cases of destructive diarrhea was 47,550. The number of suspected cases of cholera was 14,508, with eight deaths. The number of typhoid cases was 196,287, with one death, while there were 18,597 cases of measles, with 131 deaths.

The report indicated that the number of polio cases was 226, while malaria cases were 1,136,360, with 19 deaths. Dengue fever had 28,157 cases with 37 deaths, while cases of viral hepatitis B and C were 20,248, with two deaths, and hepatitis A and E were 14,039 cases. The number of diphtheria cases was 1,105, with 76 deaths.

In the face of the practices deliberately committed by the aggression coalition to increase the suffering of the Yemeni people, the directives of the head of the Supreme Political Council were issued to the concerned authorities to enhance measures to eliminate epidemics, especially in the Hodeidah province and the Tihama provinces that witness an increase in the number of infections with fevers and epidemics, especially in winter.

The Minister of Health explained that “the epidemiological situation in Yemen requires many interventions, especially with the continuation of the aggression and siege. The health situation is getting worse every year, despite the huge efforts and continuous field movement of the Ministry of Health and the support provided by partners in organizations, even if it does not measure up to the size of the disaster and did not meet the observed need.”

The minister called on international organizations working in the health sector to fulfill their responsibilities and to continue supporting the health system and focusing on enhancing preparedness for epidemics as a priority, holding the United Nations responsible for the deteriorating health situation in Yemen due to the ongoing aggression and siege.

Since October 2019, the province of Al Hudaydah has witnessed a noticeable increase in the number of cases of dengue fever and chikungunya. The total number of suspected cases has exceeded 76,000, while the number of deaths has reached 215 across Yemen. Additionally, 37,000 suspected cases and 91 deaths were reported during the first quarter of 2020.

A report issued by the Ministry of Health indicated that the total number of suspected cases in Al Hudaydah during the year 2019 was more than 32,000, with 88 deaths, most of which occurred in October when the outbreak began in the Al Jarahi district and spread to the northern districts and the city of Al Hudaydah.

On his part, the Deputy Minister of Health for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Mohammed Al-Mansour, confirmed that the continuation of the aggression and siege contributed to the spread of epidemics and diseases, especially after the activities and programs of the national malaria control program stalled in the past years due to the lack of resources.

He touched on the direct and indirect causes that led to the spread of epidemics, including the aggression and siege, and the suspension of operational budgets for the health sector, which contributed to the cessation of disease control activities.

The Deputy Minister pointed out that the economic effects of the aggression and the suspension of salaries had a great impact on the ability of citizens to access health services and medical diagnosis.

He also mentioned that the closure of ports led to the delay in the arrival of one and a half million mosquito nets saturated with insecticide, depriving three million citizens of protection against diseases. Additionally, the delay in the arrival of malaria treatment drugs and the depletion of stockpiles and vector control supplies such as pesticides, spraying tools, and protection gear were considered obstacles that hindered disease control activities and their timely implementation. This led to the exposure of hundreds of thousands of citizens to mosquito-borne diseases.

The countries of aggression were held fully responsible for the deterioration of the health situation and the spread of epidemics in Yemen. The Deputy Minister called on the United Nations, its organizations, and bodies to pressure the coalition of aggression to lift the siege and open Sanaa International Airport and Hodeidah Port in order to enhance preparedness measures for epidemics, control them, and provide medicines and medical supplies.

The aggression, siege, and epidemics have become a deadly triad that has been plaguing the people of Yemen for about eight years.

The text is in Arabic and talks about statistics related to epidemics and diseases in Yemen. An official from the Ministry of Health, Anis Al-Asbahi, revealed that the statistics for infectious diseases during the year 2022 in all provinces of Yemen amounted to about 4.5 million cases, including 686 deaths.

He stated that Yemen has been subjected to a fierce aggression and an unjust siege that has directly caused the spread of many epidemics over the past years. The aggression targeted health centers and centers specialized in epidemiological surveillance and disease control, as well as preventing the entry of certain types of solutions.

The official also pointed out that the crimes of the aggression targeted malaria control centers and cholera treatment centers, as well as medical and ambulance staff. He noted that the coalition of aggression is preventing the entry of certain types of solutions, medical supplies, medical devices, and epidemic control tools.

He also indicated that the continuation of the aggression in preventing the arrival of ships carrying drug shipments, despite undergoing forced inspection, results in a bad situation due to poor storage.

Al-Asbahi stated that contaminated water is one of the most important causes of the spread of epidemics, and citizens drink polluted water in some areas as a result of the aggression’s targeting of drinking water projects.

He noted that the aggression’s control of the country’s oil and gas resources has made the rescue government unable to provide operational budgets for disease control and surveillance programs.

He called on the United Nations to be credible in its slogans and world days, and to play its humanitarian role in stopping the aggression and lifting the siege. He also called for the entry of all needs for epidemic control, medicines, and medical supplies without delay.

A recent report by the Ministry of Human Rights revealed that 1.488 million Yemenis have died due to diseases and epidemics during the years of war. The report indicated that these deaths were indirectly caused by the war, the spread of chronic diseases, and the toxicity of prohibited chemical weapons used by the aggression coalition against the Yemeni people over the past eight years.