Guest Editorial: Eyewitness Account of a Forgotten Conflict

By Sakai Naismith The Saudi - Iran peace treaty was discussed a lot in the media, particularly as it shifts the power balance in the region. Every media outlet noted the threat to Israel, but very few headlines paid attention to the people impacted most by the treaty - the Yemeni people. The war in Yemen is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. As the two nations patched together a framework for dialogue, Yemen heaved a sigh!The world continues to ignore and forget the situation in Yemen, so here is a brief update, per numbers from UNICEF. The Yemeni war sprouted the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Since 2015 there have been approximately 377,000 civilian deaths. Sixty percent of these have been the result of indirect causes like food shortages and lack of access to healthcare. At present, 74 percent of the population, or 25 million people, remain in need of assistance. Five million are at risk of famine right now and 4.5 million people are displaced. One million are affected by a cholera outbreak. Eleven thousand children have died and an unknown number of children were forced to become child soldiers.Eleven million children currently need one or more forms of humanitarian assistance. Forty-Six percent of all health facilities have completely closed or are only partially functioning.All sides to this conflict have violated human rights and international humanitarian laws.Now, Yemen’s lack of leadership and inability to control their few remaining assets has attracted the governments of the UAE, Iran and Saudi Arabia. These nations have already pecked most of the meat off Yemen’s carcass. For example, the Yemeni archipelago of Socotra, a shipping channel for 21,000 ships a year, is now controlled by the UAE. Israel, the USA and Saudi Arabia have each established a military and intelligence presence on the islands. Every shipping port along the southern coast is also controlled by the UAE.Yemen still has to re-establish governance and recreate infrastructure in order to survive. It has no oil or significant deposits of minerals. So, without foreign government investments the recovery will be painstakingly slow and reliant on NGO’s. It is reminiscent of Cambodia after Pol Pot and the Vietnamese occupation.Regardless of how steep the climb ahead will be, the Iran - Saudi treaty solidified peace and proferred hope to people who need it more than anyone in this world. As China was responsible for brokering this deal I hope that at some point during his visit Antony Blinken congratulated the Chinese for their artful diplomatic strides. The people in Yemen most certainly do!!If you want - UNICEF, Red Cross and Islamic Relief are the charities most able to affect positive change with their finger on the pulse as to where each dollar is needed. Médecins Sans Frontières (aka Doctors Without Borders) was tragically bombed during the conflict and shut down operations. I believe they are back now but I’m not sure to what extent. Sakai Naismith is a former attorney who abandoned a lucrative legal practice for a less stable but more satisfying life of world travel. He has taken countless tour groups to places around the world, including Yemen.

Heigh Ho Heigh Ho It’s Progress Here We Go!!

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