As the Trends Journal has been reporting on a regular basis, the five-year war in Yemen, initiated by Saudi Arabia’s invasion to squash anti-government Houthi rebels in the civil war there, has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
It is estimated that over 100,000 Yemenis have been killed, including many women and children, mostly by Saudi air raids supported by the United States and other allies with munitions and intelligence. As a consequence of the war, more than ten million are at risk of starvation.
Mark Lowcock, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, reported to the U.N. Security Council that about three out of four programs which have been assisting millions of Yemen’s people are in danger of running out of funds.
He noted Yemen’s health system has virtually collapsed, as diphtheria and cholera are at epidemic levels due to war torn conditions, making COVID-19 a greater threat than in most countries. He also voiced concern that the plunge in oil prices, due to the global shutdown, could drop the value of Yemen’s currency by as much as 70 percent.
TRENDPOST: One of the unintended consequences of the global lockdown in reaction to the COVID-19 panic has been plunging oil prices. As a result, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who started the war in March 2015, declared a two-week ceasefire between his country and the Saudi’s Yemeni opponents.
YEMEN WAR: END IS NEAR?
