We Need to Break the Wall of Indifference Around the War in Yemen
Western states and arms companies have facilitated a destructive war in Yemen that’s already claimed 400,000 lives. A six-month truce recently ended without agreement on a peace deal — ending this horrific conflict must now be an international priority.
Locals visit a cemetery with the graves of Yemenis who have lost their lives during the war on October 07, 2022 in Sana’a, Yemen. (Mohammed Hamoud / Getty Images)
Interest in the war that has been ongoing in Yemen since 2015 has been persistently limited, whether among diplomats, the media, or the general public. This is surprising when one thinks of the war’s wider ramifications across the Middle East.
Those consequences have included Iranian encroachment in Yemen through Tehran’s support for a rebel group, the Houthis, and daily air bombardments by a foreign power, Saudi Arabia, with the assistance of other states — first and foremost the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — and armed by Western military companies.
This indifference is even more puzzling when one takes into consideration the multiple violations of international law that have occurred in Yemen and the immense humanitarian tragedy that the conflict has produced. According to UN figures, the war has claimed four hundred thousand victims, directly or indirectly, yet it remains largely under the radar in the West as well as in Arab countries.
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