There is no doubt that the events in Yemen are complex, borne out of decades of political corruption and tribal dominance. However, little needs to be understood about Yemen’s political history to understand the current humanitarian crisis in the country known as the ‘Jewel of Arabia’.

At the time of writing, a five day cease-fire has been declared between Saudi forces and Houthi rebels in order to allow humanitarian agencies to deliver much needed aid. According to conservative UN statistics, there are currently 12,000,000 people that are food insecure and 300,000 people displaced from homes. This does not take into account the human suffering caused by the daily recorded deaths of civilians killed in cross-fire.

The lack of infrastructure has meant that two thirds of Yemeni lacks access to clean water, food or fuel with humanitarian agencies warning against the little time they have to deliver urgent supplies throughout the country. The true extent of the human suffering is shielded, with electricity cuts making it difficult to obtain daily reports of the damage caused on the ground.

What is known is that the hostilities have encroached civilian life with ICRC reporting the absence of any safe areas in Yemen. Towns and cities have been shelled with residential houses targeted by snipers. Whilst families are forced to leave their homes they are terrified to do so. Stories like those reporting the death of five-year old Abdul RahmanYoussef, killed by a sniper as he moved by a window in his home, are becoming increasingly common.

Yemen’s towns and cities are small and little refuge is found in schools or mosques which themselves have been the subject of military attacks. Even before the outbreak of recent hostilities, Yemen’s hospitals were woefully inadequate. Today, the majority of hospitals are out of function due to lack of fuel for the electric generators. Those that are in operation are saturated with wounded patients with medical staff unable to provide basic medical attention. In Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, three hospitals were bombarded by tanks and forced to shut down. Dr, Yasin Al-Qubati, a Taiz medical doctor, has spoken of his devastation regarding the closure of hospitals, stating:

“Today I am very sad and approaching depression. Even then I made sure that the mental hospital was cleared from thugs and managed to retrieve the doctor in duty and secure food for the 120 mental patients. Even then the water is still lacking for them but God will help me finding a solution for this problem. The thing that makes me really devastated and deeply sad is that the main hospital (Al Thawra) is out of operation and the department of Kidney dialysis stopped. Furthermore, Al Hekma Hospital is lacking diesel for its electricity generator. The ICU will be shut on Sunday in case the shortage of diesel is not solved. We have asked the families of the babies in incubators and ICU to transfer their patients to another hospital by Saturday. In case the oil company in the city can’t open again [..] many patients will die lacking the diesel for electricity! Oh God!”

 The closure and/or destruction of airports in Yemen has meant there is little way out of conflict-zone. Those hoping to escape must do so by sea, crossing Gulf of Aden into Africa. Up until the outbreak of the conflict, this was the same route taken by African migrants hoping for a marginally better livelihood in Yemen. However, even those fleeing across have found themselves subject to indiscriminate attacks and 50 people were killed.

 The devastation and destruction caused in residential areas is incomprehensible and whilst the people of Yemen welcome the reprieve granted by a five-day ceasefire, it is not enough. With dangerously low supplies of fuel, there is a significant risk that basic supplies will not reach the majority of those in need. Before long, civilians will be plunged back into a state of fear, death and starvation.