The International Organization for Migration has revealed the volume of the Yemeni tragedy in light of the ongoing war through a new statistical publication.
According to the statistic, the number of displaced people has reached more than 95,000 IDPs since the beginning of this year.
In 2015, the war has erupted in Yemen, when the Houthi militias controlled the capital Sanaa, with the support of the IRGC. After that, fierce battles took place between the Houthi militias and the Yemeni army affiliated with the transitional government.
Hunger and Poverty
The displacement crisis is one of many problems that the Yemenis suffer from, especially after the poverty rates has increased above 80% in the entire country with the country entering the stage of real famine.
Yemen’s war and capturing the capital by the militias have resulted in one of the worst humanitarian crises worldwide.
The humanitarian situation has worsened after the suspension of more than 30 programs (out of 41 programs) run by the UN in Yemen. Those were suspended due to lack of funds of donor countries.
The UN had previously announced to have received $ 1.35 billion to support the humanitarian operations in Yemen. However, several countries and organizations announced reducing their funding for the relief operations because of the Houthi militia practices and restriction on the work of humanitarian agencies.
Touching on the food crisis in Yemen, the UN Development Program indicates that 20 million Yemenis are threatened by chronic hunger, and that they have become the most vulnerable to starvation worldwide. The UN Development Program points out that the war together with the spread of the Corona epidemic has exacerbated the food crisis in Yemen, which made the country in need for urgent food aid.
Aggravated Robbery
The hunger and poverty that hit Yemen are a result of the Houthi militias’ practices, trying to control the country’s resources in order to create a problem in securing the Yemenis’ basic needs, and thus rendering their trade in the black market more actively, especially with medicines, fuels and food.
Speaking to MENA Research and Study Center, a reliable source accuses the militiamen of stealing public money through taxes, royalties and what they call the Zakat money.
The source refers to the “law of one fifth”, which was approved by the militias a few days ago, according to which one fifth of the country’s wealth and citizens’ funds will be granted to the militias’ leaders under the pretext of ownership to the family of Prophet Muhammad.
In 2019, the militias approved a number of taxes on Yemeni citizens, including a Jihad tax and taxes for supporting the militias, as well as taxes on pharmacists and lawyers.
According to Yemeni government reports, the country has already entered the fifth stage of the disaster, due to the deterioration of economic conditions in general during the period between 2015 and 2019.
COVID-19, Complicated Crisis
As for the spread of the Coronavirus, the UNICEF says that the health system in Yemen is collapsing due to its incapability to provide the basic medical needs and services.
The organization also refers to the lack of funding for supporting health units, stressing that the UN organizations have received only 10 percent of the medical aid funds needed in Yemen, estimated at $ 53 million.
The UN had warned earlier that 48,000 pregnant women in Yemen are threatened with death due to the spread of the Coronavirus, as the financial support for health and birth centers was reduced.
In this context, the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Robert Colville, expresses the UN’s concern of what he described as the “desperate situation” in Yemen.
“There is a fear of losing uncountable lives due to the Corona epidemic, the malaria, dengue, cholera and other diseases,” Colville said, urging donors to provide immediate aid to help millions of Yemenis who have already suffered during five years of war.
