The ongoing war crisis in Yemen has cost over 100,000 innocent people their lives, and has displaced over 24 million people. “The missiles, the airstrikes, the snipers, (that) hit people going about their daily business, often without warning and in places where there’s no active conflict, it gives the impression that there’s nowhere in Yemen that you can call safe, or where you can hide,” said panel chair of the United Nations and spokesman Kamel Jendoubi.
The coalition, commanded by the Saudi Arabians, consisting of states including Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United States of America is combating with the Houthi rebels of Yemen to regain the government’s power. Saudi Arabia has numerous allies, including the United States of America, and these allies are supplying the majority of the war supplies, while also attacking Yemen through bomb strikes and air raids. There have been over 50 unlawful recorded airstrikes over the country since 2015, causing several fatalities.
After combat, it has been discovered that ammunition and other resources were supplied by larger and wealthier states. To wreak havoc, Houthi forces unnecessarily fire artillery and bombs into the war stricken cities. There have often been landmines, specifically cluster munitions which have been supplied by populated and rich countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Brazil. Hundreds of children are being recruited into the army at a young age, losing their lives before the age of 30. This war has displaced over twenty-four million people, and killed over 100,000 people, due to both combat.
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The crisis in Yemen has left a whopping fourteen million people with diseases due to unsanitary food supplied to the civilians of Yemen. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2 in every 3 Yemeni civilians cannot afford to buy food. There is also a severe water crisis in Yemen, as over 70% of the water is used up growing a single drug, khat, which does not feed anyone. The living conditions in the neighboring countries are no better, and more refugees from both Somalia and Ethiopia are fleeing into Yemen, only to meet a similar fate.
The Republic of Kenya and Yemen have forged strong relations, as Kenya has sheltered many Yemeni Arabs and Yemeni refugees. The relations between these two countries include:
Both countries export resources between each other, such as coffee, tea, and other goods as signs of friendship.
Kenya is trying to eliminate the crisis in Yemen by establishing new treaties on the issue of terrorism, border surveillance patrols, developing security teams and taking measures to create a safe haven for citizens. Kenya and Yemen have also shown their bond by creating advanced bilateral ties between the two nations, including the immediate granting of visas to any Kenyan or Yemeni who enters the country.
The United Nations has passed numerous resolutions to try and combat the crisis in Yemen. These resolutions include Resolution 2216, passed by the Security Council – which demands an end to the crisis in Yemen, and also calls for all major parties in the country to cease violence. Resolution 2452, passed by the Security Council, declares that the United Nations deploy forces to oversee the ceasefire between Houthi forces and the Yemeni government, as a further acknowledgment of the Hodeidah Agreement.
Other endeavors made by the United Nations to help eliminate the crisis in Yemen include the convention between the United Nations and the government of Sweden and Switzerland, at which donors pledged US$2.6 Billion to guarantee that necessary humanitarian aid was given to the Yemeni refugees and displaced persons; and the United Nations International children education fund committee (UNICEF) has formulated numerous projects, including the Yemen Emergency Cash Transfer project; which funds Yemeni citizens, permitting them to rehabilitate purchase essentials, such as food, clothing, etc.
The Republic of Kenya recommends that to completely eliminate the human rights crisis in Yemen, the United Nations should:
- Expand their resolutions by ceasing all violence throughout Yemen by having the Houthi forces and the Yemeni government resolve the conflict at summits and conventions, with United Nations representatives and forces to oversee peace.
- Encourage other member states to create numerous refugee camps for the millions of displaced Yemenis.
- A ceasefire treaty is signed immediately by both sides, and all civilians not involved in combat are moved to different locations away from combat, restoring normal life for all civilians.
- During the war, countries should raise awareness about how the Yemeni people deserve respect so that once the war ends, the world will be aware of the human rights of the Yemeni citizens.
Works Cited
- “Human Rights Council Adopts Eight Resolutions, Extends Mandates on Yemen, Central African Republic, Sudan and Somalia, and Closes Its Thirty-Ninth Session.” OHCHR, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=23662&LangID=E.
- “Human Rights Council Adopts Eight Resolutions, Extends Mandates on Yemen, Central African Republic, Sudan and Somalia, and Closes Its Thirty-Ninth Session.” OHCHR, https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=23662&LangID=E.
- “Nowhere Is Safe to Hide in War-Torn Yemen, Say UN-Appointed Rights Experts | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1045492.
- Roth, Kenneth. “World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Yemen.” Human Rights Watch, 17 Jan. 2019, https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/yemen.
- “Yemen Refugee Crisis: Aid, Statistics and News: USA for UNHCR.” How to Help Refugees – Aid, Relief and Donations, https://www.unrefugees.org/emergencies/yemen/.
