Famine Stalks Yemen

by Stephen Lendman

Obama’s war on Yemen with Saudi proxies may kill millions before it ends. Official reports way understate mounting casualties - from war, untreated diseases and wounds, especially threatening famine.

On August 19, the World Food Program warned of a growing catastrophic food crisis. War and US/Saudi blockade prevents distributing enough to sustain life for millions of Yemenis.

WFP’s Erthanin Cousin warned of  likely famine if it’s not lifted along with providing unhindered access to starving people.

“Right now, the conflict-driven convergence between the lack of staple food, access to clean water, and a diminished fuel supply create the dawn of a perfect storm for the most vulnerable Yemeni people,” she explained.

“The disruption in the commercial food sector creates significant reductions in imports which causes an inflationary effect on market prices for food and other basic commodities.”

“As a result, we are starting to see a double effect of the conflict as even the people who could previously afford to meet their food needs are today unable to buy food.”

Six million Yemeni children alone are at grave risk of starving to death for lack of enough food to eat. Malnutrition reached epidemic proportions.

“The damage to Yemen’s next generation may become irreversible if we don’t reach children quickly with the right food at the right time. We must act now before it is too late,” said Cousin.

An earlier article said Obama wants Yeminis starved to death or perishing from untreated diseases and wounds - part of his genocidal war on humanity for unchallenged US global dominance.

Food emergency crisis conditions exist in conflict affected governorates. WFP called it “one step away from famine levels.”

The ICRC said five months of conflict created equivalent devastation to four-and-a-half years of war in Syria. President Peter Maurer said images he saw in Sanaa and Aden reminded him of Syrian catastrophic conditions.

“The firepower with which this war is fought on the ground and in the air is causing more suffering than in other societies which are stronger and where infrastructures are better off and people are wealthier and have reserves and can escape,” he explained.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told Security Council members:

Saudi-led terror bombings are “in clear contravention of international humanitarian law and are unacceptable.”

“I am extremely concerned that the damage to the port of Hodeida could have a severe impact on the entire country, and would deepen humanitarian needs, making more people food insecure, leaving them without access to water or medicines, which could also mean the spread of disease.”

Saudi promised humanitarian aid was a duplicitous PR stunt. Nothing arrived or will it. Nor from America. Both countries want maximum pain and suffering inflicted on millions of Yemenis in danger of perishing without vital aid soon.

Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres - MSF) President Joanne Liu was appalled at what she saw during two weeks spent in war-torn areas.

“What shocked me was the number of war-wounded (hospital) patients…with very complex injuries. It was total carnage,” she said.

“I’ve never seen such a high number of war-wounded patients with really awfully graphic and complicated war wounds. We're close to 9,000 in less than five months. This is a record number of war-wounded in a conflict for MSF that we have taken care of. It's highly traumatizing.”

“This has been a very, very violent conflict. We can do the first phase surgery, but some patients need reconstructive surgery…Right now these kind of facilities do not exist in the country.”

She explained willfully terror bombing civilian areas unrelated to conflict with devastating results.

She denounced blockade conditions preventing vital aid getting in. Everything is in short supply or nonexistent. It’s causing otherwise preventable deaths.  MSF’s staff are in harm’s way - in danger like vulnerable civilians they came to help when wounded or ill.

Terror bombing and shelling go on every day and night without relief. “It’s living in a world of uncertainty,” said Liu. “It’s living each day not knowing what the next day will bring.”

On August 19, Sputnik News reported Washington doubled its number of advisors providing Riyadh with intelligence - identifying terror bombing sites and other targets, civilians most of all affected.

Obama wants Yemen returned to US client state status - no matter the genocidal toll on millions of ordinary people in harm’s way suffering horrendously, out of sight and mind as Western media largely ignore them, US media almost entirely.

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.