US/Saudi Genocide in Yemen

by Stephen Lendman

Yemen is Obama's war. It was planned and orchestrated long before naked aggression began.

Ongoing genocide affecting millions of Yemenis is Obama's latest atrocity. It's conducted by Saudi-led proxies and Israel.

An entire country is being raped and destroyed - thousands of its people murdered, mainly civilians, thousands more maimed for life.

It's another of history's great crimes. Washington bears full responsibility. What's ongoing is largely unreported - 24 million people at risk are ignored.

On June 5, London's Guardian headlined "Saudi-led naval blockade leaves 20m Yemenis facing humanitarian disaster" - 80% of the population. Lack of sanitation alone risks spreading life-threatening diseases to epidemic levels.

Millions of Yemenis are "in urgent need of" virtually everything necessary to sustain life and welfare - including food, clean water, medical supplies and fuel oil needed for electricity.

"Cooking gas is almost impossible to find," said the Guardian. Queues in Sanaa to refill gas cylinders with what little is available last over a week.

Cars are abandoned for lack of petrol. Millions of severely food insecure Yemenis go for days without eating.

Terror-bombing and blockade caused humanitarian crisis conditions nationwide. Hospitals in 18 of Yemen's 22 governorates either closed or aren't able to provide proper treatment.

Over 150 health centers providing food for almost half a million at-risk children shut down - as well as 158 outpatient clinics for children under age five.

An epic humanitarian disaster is unfolding in plain sight - because of US orchestrated, Saudi-led naked aggression as well as naval and air blockade preventing all but a small, woefully inadequate, amount of aid from arriving.

Human suffering is extreme. Millions of Yemenis are at risk of perishing. Blockade isn't about preventing weapons arriving for Houthi fighters.

It's willfully inflicting extreme pain and suffering on millions of Yemenis in a futile attempt to force Houthi surrender.

Yemen depends on imports for 90% of its food alone. A small fraction of what's needed is arriving. According to Oxfam's Nuha Abdul Jabber:

"Hospitals are shutting down…people are dying of simple diseases. It is becoming almost impossible to survive."

Cholera and other infectious diseases are spreading. A dengue fever outbreak was reported in Aden.

"There are less and less of the basic necessities. People are queueing all day long," said Jabber.

"The blockade means it’s impossible to bring anything into the country. There are lots of ships, with basic things like flour, that are not allowed to approach. The situation is deteriorating" gravely.

"We have heard a lot about international commitments to help Yemen with big sums, but we haven't seen anything here."

Now is the time for the world community "to understand the severity of the situation" and act promptly to supply desperately needed aid.

Saudis murder Yemenis daily. Almost diabolically they pledged $274 in emergency aid. They delivered nothing to OCHA. They want the right to decide which aid workers enter Yemen.

It's blocking a major humanitarian effort needed. Al Hudaydah is a west coast Yemeni port - the only major one still operating.

According to the Guardian, only "a trickle of humanitarian food supplies is arriving on a handful of aid ships allowed through the naval blockade each week, but many more ships are being turned away or made to wait many days to be searched for weapons."

The Iranian vessel carrying 2,500 tons of aid was diverted to Djibouti for inspection before being allowed to continue to Yemen.

It arrived on May 22. Iranian Red Crescent Society head Nasser Charkhsaz said it remains in Djibouti awaiting "needed coordination" to proceed to Yemen. Riyadh continues blocking its departure.

Western leaders able to intervene responsibly do nothing to help desperate people. Occasional disingenuous high-minded rhetoric conceals their total support for US/Saudi aggression and mass murder.

Britain's Foreign Office spokesman indicated support for what demands denunciation, saying:

"We are not participating directly in military operations, but are providing support to the Saudi Arabian armed forces through pre-existing arrangements. A small number of UK personnel are coordinating planning support with Saudi and coalition partners."

Britain is culpable for supporting mass murder by terror-bombing and blockade. Save the Children's Priya Jacob said "(t)he humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a protracted and rapidly deteriorating situation that leaves four out of five Yemeni people in need of aid."

"The ongoing naval and air blockade means very little aid is getting through, exacerbating the needs of the Yemeni people."

Doctors Without Borders accused Riyadh of "indiscriminate airstrikes" against residential communities, medical facilities and critical infrastructure.

These attacks and blockade cripple efforts to provide humanitarian aid. If conditions remain unresolved longterm, millions of Yemenis could perish.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.