July 19, 2021
Dear friends,
We want to bring this article on www.thewaterblog.tv to your attention.
Fuel crisis driving Yemen to the brink
Since March this year, the Yemeni people have been caught in airstrikes being carried out by a Saudi-led, US-backed coalition against the Houthis and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The international coalition aims to restore the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
On Sunday (March 10), the Houthis accepted a 5-day humanitarian ceasefire proposed by the Saudis.
Over 1300 have been killed in the conflict so far. Thousands have had to flee their homes amid destroyed infrastructure and acute shortage of food, water, medicine and fuel.
In an open letter published in The Times, a UK-based group of diplomats, academicians and aid workers has made an urgent plea to ensure a lasting ceasefire and safe passage of fuel to Yemeni towns and villages. Fuel is a particularly key component in this conflict, propping up the economy and the day-to-day in the water-scarce nation. Agriculture depends critically on diesel-powered pumps. Fuel is also key to fishermen along the long coastline, industries and their supply chains.
The Houthis accuse the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade of Yemen as the main reason for the fuel crisis. The open letter warns of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster if the blockade is not eased. Human Rights Watch warns that the civilian casualties could be “…dwarfed by the harm caused to civilians by the coalition blockade on fuel if it continues.”
For the full text of the letter, and more background on the inextricable link between fuel, politics and conflict in Yemen, go to www.thewaterblog.tv
Kind regards,
Frank, Abraham, Matthijs and Linda