Buildings targeted in Saudi-led air strikes on Yemen. Photograph shared on Twitter by Sana'a-based blogger @Omeisy
Eighteen out of Yemen's 22 governorates have been attacked by the Saudi-led alliance since the war on Yemen began on March 26, says the United Nations. The trail of destruction has left hundreds of people dead, thousands wounded and a nation of 24 million people living in poverty, horror and the lack of basic life essentials.
Although Operation Decisive Storm airstrikes are intended to bomb military facilities and weapon depots to quell the Houthi rebels supported by ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, the strikes have resulted in a lot of death, displacement and destruction across the country. Despite the massive number of strikes over the past three weeks, the Houthi/Saleh brutal aggression has spread to the south and intensified, particularly in Aden, killing many civilians and destroying residential neighbourhoods as well.
Backed by its Gulf Arab allies, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Sudan and Saudi Arabia launched an airstrike operation against Houthi fighters who took control of Yemen in January. The effort is also being supported by the US, which is providing its Saudi partner with intelligence and logistical support.
The United Nations estimates that around 150,000 people have been displaced, and the World Health Organisation, citing Yemeni Health Ministry sources, reports 767 people had been killed and more than 2,900 wounded in less than a month.
The latest report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian gives an overview of the infrastructure that has been destroyed, damaged and disrupted as a result of the fighting.
Those stuck at home have no fuel, cooking gas or water. Food is scarce, and electricity is non-existent.
Living Amid Continuous Air Strikes and Bombardments
Residents in the capital Sana'a and in Aden have been tweeting day and night about the horrors they are facing during the war.
From Sana'a, Osama Abdullah describes life in the capital as “walking around death”:
We sleep & wake up on KSA strikes, everyday we lose a dear friend or family,we walk around death & our life no longer has a meaning #Yemen
— Osama Abdullah (@PoliticsYemen) April 11, 2015
Hisham Al-Omeisy shares photographs of the damage caused by the air strikes in Sana'a:
Pictures from past 2hrs in Sana'a #Yemen showing bombardment of coalition airstrikes..which haven't ceased yet.. pic.twitter.com/uqh5EF6yXA
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) April 17, 2015
And Amal Suqaf describes how scary it is to live such conditions on a daily basis:
Heavy heavy explosions in Aser, Attan & behind Abduraboh's house in 60 m road, it's soo scary, I'm deaf #yemen #KefayaWar #OpDecisiveStorm
— amal suqaf (@amalsuqaf) April 16, 2015
Life has come to a standstill as a result of the constant aerial bombardment. Ammar Al-Aulaqi tweets about fuel shortages and power cuts:
Sanaa city's largest food retailers are empty. Streets are empty due to fuel shortage. Garbage pileup.Widespread power outages.”I Am Legend”
— Ammar Al-Aulaqi (@ammar82) April 13, 2015
Rooj describes living in constant fear, with one meal a day, in the dark:
2 know what it is like in #Yemen, turn off electricity, water, heating, eat once a day, live in the dark, fear for ur life. #KefayaWar
— Rooj (@Rooj129) April 12, 2015
Haykal Bafana, from Sana'a, says Yemenis are deprived of basic life essentials as well as peace:
No electricity for 34 straight hours in #Yemen capital Sanaa. No petrol, no diesel, no cooking gas, no water and no peace either.
— Haykal Bafana (@BaFana3) April 14, 2015
And Ibrahim Alhemyari shares what the weather report should read to Yemenis instead of the standard highs and lows of the day:
This is what I should really get when checking the weather in Yemen on my iPhone. #DecisiveStorm pic.twitter.com/BZmLOXWfX1
— Ibrahim Alhemyari (@brrhom) April 5, 2015
And while Sana'a is being bombed by the Saudi-led coalition, this horror is resonated in the south, where the Saleh/Houthi alliance is fighting in Aden. Yet it hasn't been getting as much coverage.
Ammar Al-Aulaqi points to this:
In all honesty, residents in Aden are getting the worst of this, civilian deaths there is tenfold, yet Sanaa gets the most coverage. Fact.
— Ammar Al-Aulaqi (@ammar82) April 18, 2015
And he says schools and universities have been shut since the start of the war:
Let the world know: All schools, universities, & education institutions are closed in #Aden since Mar 26th. #AdenBleeding #Yemen #KefayaWar
— Ammar Al-Aulaqi (@ammar82) April 10, 2015
Spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, Marie Claire Feghali, said the humanitarian situation across the country was “very difficult … [with] naval, air and ground routes cut off”. Yet she described the situation in Aden as “catastrophic to say the least”. She added: “The war in Aden is on every street, in every corner … Many are unable to escape.”
A British-Yemeni man also recounts to BBC World Service Radio about the difficulty and danger people in Aden are facing.
Other residents in Aden tweeted about the hardship they face.
Nisma, a 20-year-old university student in Aden, describes to BBC World Service Radio the dire living conditions there:
My everyday life no #Electricity no #water no #food no #security. Living in a jungle would be better. #aden #Yemen pic.twitter.com/qL2kHTjm1X
— Nisma Alozebi (@NismaAlozebi) April 16, 2015
Fakhuus Hashim says Aden is suffering in a war it did not start:
Aden is suffering from a war they didn't start or get involved with in anyway. But bodies dropping so fast. Allah Ya3een ! #Yemen
— AlQubaty (@FakhuusHashim) April 10, 2015
Aden is suffering from a war they didn't start or get involved with in anyway. But bodies dropping so fast. May God have mercy.
Hussain Al-Yafai is reporting snipers shooting at women and children and killing them in Aden:
Houthi snipers are now killing women & children in #Aden! There have been many children & women reported killed by Houthi snipers! #Yemen
— Hussain Al-Yafai (@crazyyafai) April 15, 2015
And Sala Mohammed describes the dire humanitarian situation on the ground:
#Aden #Dhalea #Lahj humanitarian aid is needed urgently , shortage of water,food,fuel and health services . #SouthYemen #Decisive_Storm
— Sala Mohammed (@SalaAden) April 5, 2015
To sum up, Al-Omeisy notes that all Yemenis are united in their suffering:
Just to put into perspective, Sana'a suffers coalition airstrikes. Aden same but + Houthi shelling, Navy shelling, PCs shelling..etc #Yemen
— Hisham Al-Omeisy (@omeisy) April 17, 2015
Stay tuned for more coverage from Yemen.
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6 comments
Thank you Noon Arabia for this brilliant article on the situation in Yemen, and thank you to those who are able to share in twitter their experiences. It is such an important role, both to make the world aware of what is going on, and also to bring news to people like myself who have loved ones in Yemen who have no access to electricity and cannot get word out themselves. I hope that all in the world will see the great strength and need of the Yemeni people and do whatever they can to end this war as soon as possible.