Public Comment

Yemen Situation is Worse

Jagjit Singh
Saturday December 16, 2017 - 06:10:00 PM

The news from war-torn Yemen gets grimmer by the day. 

The US- UK-France coalition supporting the Saudi-led bombing campaign has devastated Yemen’s health, water and sanitation systems and has sparked a massive cholera epidemic. The Saudi-imposed naval blockade assisted by the US navy has prevented critical food, water, medicine and aid from reaching civilians. The United Nations has warned that over 8 million people are “a step away from famine.” It is tragic that not a single US lawmaker has expressed concern for the war crimes being committed. 

Aid agencies still don’t have full access to port Hudaydah, which is the main access port for the most densely populated part of Yemen. The food is coming by land or from distant ports which is driving up food prices out of reach for most Yeminis. The situation is extremely dire. The number of people on the brink of famine has reached more than 8 million. Children are starving to death across the country even in the coalition-controlled territory. 27 million people are being strangulated by the coalition enforced blockade. Disease is rampant. Almost one million have succumbed to cholera and diphtheria. 

It is outrageous that our tax dollars are being used to conduct this immoral war. The US is fully complicit in serious war crimes being committed. I urge concerned readers to contact their representatives and President Trump to call for an immediate halt to military aid to Saudi Arabia and demand lifting the naval blockade.