Yemen: Bombing of civilian targets fuels cholera epidemic

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is sending out an appeal to Europe’s and America’s intellectuals to show commitment for the civil-war-shaken country of Yemen in order to prevent further deaths. “If the International community fails to protect the civilian population from severe crimes, it is the European and American intellectuals who have to raise their voices to help the victims,” said Kamal Sido, the STP’s Middle East consultant, in Göttingen on Thursday. “For it is the arms deliveries from Europe and the US that are fueling the civil war – and the fact that these weapons are also used against civilian targets is fueling the cholera epidemic. Only political pressure from abroad might help to stop the killing.” More than 2,000 people have already fallen victim to the epidemic, and more than 440,000 have fallen ill.

In Yemen, around 4.5 million children and pregnant women are in desperate need of a ceasefire agreement and humanitarian aid to survive.

The human rights organization specifically criticized the air raids the coalition led by Saudi Arabia is carrying out on residential areas, schools, and hospitals. A few days ago, a school in Madan district (Amran region) was attacked and destroyed. “The air raids on civilian targets are to be seen as serious violations of international humanitarian law – and they must be regarded as war crimes. Anyone who carries out air raids against residential areas, waterworks, and other vital facilities – although this will fuel the cholera epidemic – is guilty of crimes against humanity.”

The STP also accused the Huthi rebels (who are supported by Iran) of committing war crimes, as they are still using internationally shunned landmines. In 1998, Yemen had signed an agreement against the use of landmines, as they tend to cause especially cruel injuries to civilians.

“This madness must not be quietly accepted. The civil war in Yemen is Saudi Arabia’s Vietnam War; it must be stopped! The cholera epidemic is a potential humanitarian disaster – a threat to millions of people,” Sido said. “It is cynical and shameful of Saudi Arabia to provide UNICEF with 33 million USD for measures to fight cholera, while continuing the air raids that are fueling the epidemic. The STP is especially concerned about the fate of many older people who cannot flee from the fighting, and about the fate of the Al-Akhdam minority. The approximately one million dark-skinned Al-Akhdam have been marginalized for years – and in this state of emergency, their situation is all the more difficult.

Header Photo: Richard Messenger via Flickr