Introducing new ‘Yemen Blog’ series
With the turn of the New Year, the baggage of civil unrest brewing within the country unleashed, dragging into 2015 and leading Yemen down a path of spiraling destruction. As tensions rose, life became increasingly difficult for the people of Yemen. If history has taught us anything, its civilians; regular people like you and I, who suffer the brunt of war. This was no different in the case of Yemen. Though they may have nothing to do with the conflict, the people of Yemen have suffered and want nothing but peace.
Our colleagues in our office in San’a have witnessed the conflict escalate and experienced the way it has affected their everyday lives and the work that they do. Although Houthi rebels have now spread across the entire country; back in September of 2014, the Houthis first took over the capital, Sana’a and overthrew the internationally recognised president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who eventually fled to Riyadh. Then in March earlier this year, Saudi led airstrikes struck Yemen, signifying the catalyst that would eventually trigger the imminent threat of civil war looming over the country.
Yemen is experiencing its most severe crisis in decades. With the support of an Arab coalition backed by the U.S and Britain, the Saudi-led military intervention began on the 26th of March, targeting minority Shia rebels, the Houthis and their allies and resulting in the loss of many innocent lives. Saudi air raids have been responsible for destroying civilian infrastructure including hospitals, homes, schools and even airports and power stations. Tensions between Houthi ally, Iran and neighbouring Saudi Arabia continues to escalate, threatening both regional and international security and the possibility of total chaos.
Since the civil war in Yemen broke out and the military intervention – Operation Decisive Storm – launched, our colleagues in Sana have recorded their accounts and the progression of the conflict from their local perspective. This Yemen Blog series is a space created for our colleagues to express and share their experiences of the conflict on the ground.