Photo sourced from UNICEF
The current situation in Yemen has repeatedly been described as the ‘world’s worst man-made humanitarian crisis’, with 80% of the population – 24 million people - in need of humanitarian aid. In addition to hunger, war, and COVID, the people of Yemen have also suffered the world’s worst cholera outbreak: an inevitable result of the destruction of hospitals and water supplies. A recent UNICEF report stated that the number of malnourished children could reach 2.4 million by the end of the year, but the country lacks the vital infrastructure and resources to deal with this complex crisis due to 5 years of aerial bombardment.
Yemen has struggled through a tumultuous political history both since its unification and before when it was divided between the North and South - a former British trading colony. [The conflict has a long and complex history, which you can learn more about here, or here.] Following the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 and the resignation of President Abi Abdullah Saleh in 2012 after over two decades in power; attempts to bring resolution to conflicting political groupings failed. The transitional government installed to replace Saleh was considered illegitimate by many of the Yemeni people. It composed of many from his own inner circle, with presidential power transferred to Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi in exchange for Saleh’s own immunity from prosecution for his own corrupt dealings. Hadi then refused to step down after his 2-year term ended, provoking the Houthis (a collection of political and tribal groupings) who fought continuously against the Yemeni government between 2004-2011, to join forces with their previous enemy, Saleh, and take control over the capital Sanaa. This prompted Hadi’s exile to Saudi Arabia, where a coalition was formed with the US and other nations, who began conducting airstrikes with the goal of reinstating Hadi as president.
Recent developments had threatened Saudi Arabia’s own strategic interests. Their fears of Iranian influence over the Houthis explain why it is often referred to as a proxy war. However, this influence was exaggerated and has only increased as the war has continued. In fact, the Houthis built up their stock of weapons from other sources, over $500million worth of which were originally sourced from the US – not from Iran. Somewhat suspiciously, although unsurprisingly, it has also been noted that Saudi Arabia has for some time been seeking to obtain the rights to build an oil pipeline, wholly owned and operated by themselves in the Hadramawt in Yemen.
Many of those involved in negotiations at the time the strikes began have argued that the commencement of strikes by the Saudi-coalition derailed progressive efforts to bring about peace. The Houthi rebels had allegedly agreed to remove their militias from occupied areas under a new deal, but positions have hardened on all sides since, with war crimes on both sides. The situation since the initiation of these strikes in 2015 has been catastrophic. With a death toll of 200,000, over 20,000 of which have been civilians, the UN and other organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have reported widespread and systematic attacks on civilians throughout the war by the Saudi-led coalition. These targeted attacks have included funerals, factories, water supplies, refugee camps, markets, schools, hospitals and weddings. Coalition airstrikes have caused most of the civilian casualties during the war, and their naval and air blockades have further exacerbated the suffering of Yemeni people, blocking food, fuel, and medicine from reaching those in need.
The Role of the UK
We in the West must not ignore the role of our own governments in Yemen.
It has been reported that around half of the Saudi Air force consists of British-built planes. Both UK and US officials are present in control and command centres, coordinating the strikes on Yemen, and British Special Boat Services have also been operating in Yemen, allegedly alongside child soldiers. Ex-British defense minister Mark Lancaster admitted in 2019 that RAF personnel provide ‘routine engineering support’ for Saudi military planes, including aircraft's engaged in military operations in Yemen. UK-based arms company BAE systems employ over 6,000 people across Saudi Arabia and have made over $15billion selling weapons to Saudi since the war began. A former BAE worker stated in a Channel 4 Dispatches reports that,
“with the amount of aircraft they’ve got and the operational demands, if we weren’t there in 7 to 14 days there wouldn’t be a jet in the sky.”
This would not be the first time BAE has made money from corrupt weapons sales to dictatorships, nor are they the only arms company to do so. Their weapons were used to violently oppress democracy protests in Bahrain and to facilitate genocidal repression in East Timor.
Source: Declassified UK.
The UK’s role in Yemen cannot be understood without recourse to Britain’s historical relationship with Saudi Arabia, and our wider historical and contemporary geopolitical role in the Middle East through our legacy of colonialism and ongoing imperial interventions. This includes our less well-known interventions in Iran; our taking advantage of exploitative and repressive regimes for our own interests; not to mention the UK’s long list of secret wars, which include the one fought to maintain British control in Yemen’s neighbor, Oman, throughout the 60s and 70s.
The UK government has been, albeit quietly, supporting and upholding the Saudi regime and its military force for decades through projects like SANGCOM and MOSDAP, in concert with BAE. SANGCOM is a multi-billion-pound program that manages the Saudi Arabian National Guard, an internal security force that is responsible for the protection of the royal family and has been involved in the war in Yemen. There has been total secrecy surrounding the budget for this program in the UK, but we know that thousands of employees of UK companies work in Saudi Arabia to train, install, maintain and help operate UK-supplied aircraft and other military equipment. Saudi pilots are being trained at various locations in the UK - including RAF bases and civilian airports – in using jets and guided-munitions bombs, which have been used to bomb food warehouses in 2016.
Despite arms sales to Saudi being ruled unlawful, UK government ministers, such as Jeremy Hunt, argue that UK’s ‘unique influence’ over the conflict is positive, referring to our ‘special ties’ carefully ‘preserved’ over decades. He was even reported to have actively lobbied the German government to resume selling weapons after they blacklisted Saudi in response to reports of violations of international law. Ministers have argued that our involvement allows close monitoring of civilian impact and that breaches of international law have been isolated incidents, but this contradicts all available evidence from reports. No evidence has been put forward to support this view. In response to questions from Declassified UK on how many of the airstrikes which breached international law had been conducted using items licensed under UK export, the Ministry of Defence blacklisted them, prompting a level 2 media freedom alert by the Council of Europe.
Source: @its_yemen.
Following a recent airstrike conducted in Saada, just days after the UK announced its resumption of arms to Saudi, eye-witness testimonies were collected from civilians who had survived and been affected on the ground. When asked for his opinion on Britain’s support for the Saudi-coalition, an anonymous neighbor responded “They do not care for people’s lives. What is important for them is money and selling weapons. If Yemenis are being shelled or killed, it is all right, never mind.” At the same time, Yemeni refugees seeking asylum have been amongst those who have been found dead in British hotel rooms, and those deported to other European countries and left destitute on the streets as a result.
This is the legacy Britain is creating for itself in Yemen.
Instead of listening to reports and warnings from international organizations, the UK government continues to beat the drum of pro over the conflict is positive, referring to our ‘specialties’ carefully ‘preserved’ over decades. He was even reported to have actively les by referencing our ‘respected and robust arms licensing regime’, as seen in this response to MP’s questions on the matter in parliament. But this is far from the truth. We know that external involvement in civil wars actually prolongs conflict and once again, our history of weapons sales have made an insecure situation less secure and more conflict-prone. Far from enabling moves for diplomatic arrangements and peace-making, our Prime Minister and his government have simply provided unwavering support for a bombing campaign that has failed to meet any of the initial objectives stated, all-the-while causing untold suffering of millions of Yemeni people, and profiting economically while doing so. The least we could do is put an end to our arms sales and withdraw our military support.
Source: @its_yemen.
I want to add, that despite all of this, the Yemeni people continue to struggle through each day with remarkable resilience and hope. You can listen to Atiaf Alwazir, a Yemeni researcher and human rights activist, in her TED Talk here, where she talks about how the people of Yemen choose to live their lives and plan for their futures as fully as possible each day.
My hope is that one day they will be enabled and allowed to fulfil the dreams they have for themselves and their country. It is our duty, I believe, to fight for this. To make these injustices known, and to work consistently to bring about the changes needed so that governments and institutions who inhibit them, and others around the world, from doing so are held accountable for their crimes.
Source: @OxfamGB
Event: #StopArmingSaudi, #YemenCantWait. London Students for Yemen joins OxfamGB to pressure the UK Secretary to stop licensing arms to Saudi.
A really informative and educational piece by Natasha from the London Students for Yemen group. Here's more information from Natasha on how you can get involved and join her from 3pm-6pm for a Q&A:
If you’re a student in London, you can join our group London Students for Yemen on Facebook, or alternatively, follow us on Instagram or Twitter to find out about our upcoming speakers event.
If you’re not based in London, there are other groups like Students for Yemen West Midlands, or if you are able to, there are many charities working in Yemen who rely on donations!
Please also take a look at this testimony read out by one of our members at the Alternative Remembrance Ceremony held last year by the Peace Pledge Union.
You can read more about the global arms trade at Project Indefensible here.
Have a story to share? DM me on insta @platform_blog or comment down below to get in touch.
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