The German Chancellor’s visit to the Persian Gulf (September 24)

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has demanded German Chancellor to use his upcoming visit to the Persian Gulf to advocate for an extension of the ceasefire in Yemen. “The proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran has led to one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of our time,” stated Dr. Kamal Sido, the STP’s Middle East Consultant. “As I learned during my visit to Saudi Arabia, the people in Yemen – but also in Saudi Arabia – are tired of the war. It must somehow be possible to put an end to the war in Yemen. Olaf Scholz should do everything in his power to advocate for this.”
The current ceasefire agreement ends on October 2. So far, 377,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Yemen – which has been going on since 2015. A total number of 10,200 children have been injured or killed, and 4.3 million people are on the run within the country. Two thirds of the population are living in poverty, 2.2 million children are suffering from severe malnutrition, and 1.3 million pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are undernourished. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who can rely on support by Iran. “Germany has repeatedly supplied Saudi Arabia with weapons. The United States have cut down on their support for the Kingdom, but there are still arms deals and maintenance contracts,” Sido reported. “Scholz should advocate for lasting peace in Yemen. There must be a ceasefire to allow for credible political negotiations.”
The STP is especially worried about the situation of the people in Yemen who were unable to flee from the fighting – and about the sad fate of the Al-Akhdam minority. The approximately one million dark-skinned Al-Akhdam in Yemen have been ostracized for many years, and their situation is especially worrying in these times of emergency.
In Qatar, the German Chancellor should try to ensure that injured guest workers and victims’ families will receive adequate compensation. “The minimum should be a lump sum of at least 50,000 Euros,” Sido demanded. “Further, Scholz should demand religious freedom for the Christian minority – regarding the construction of churches, for example. Church buildings are being hidden, and it should not be this way.”