Another massacre of innocents in Yemen by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition
Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The nation of Saudi Arabia that is leading the Sunni Muslim alliance needs to find a political solution to the crisis in Yemen. Equally important, leading Western nations including America, France, and the United Kingdom need to alter course because these nations are being sullied by their respective involvement. This applies to military supplies, logistics, and other important areas. Therefore, with another fresh massacre of innocent civilians – and with Saudi Arabia being in the spotlight because of events in Turkey – then now is the right time to alter course.
In the latest massacre, at least 21 civilians were killed in Hodeida, a key port for the Houthis and the Sunni Muslim alliance. Yet, for civilians in Hodeida, just like many other parts of Yemen, it is a nightmare. Hence, 21 civilians were killed after more bombing from the skies hit a market selling fruit and vegetables. Of course, this isn’t the first time that a market was hit because nothing is sacred in this brutal war.
Lisa Grande, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Yemen, says, “Civilians are paying a shocking price because of this conflict.”
The latest massacre comes only six days after a fish market was hit in the same city of Hodeida. Other massacres, so many to mention, include people slaughtered while riding a bus and 40 children who died while on a school trip (others perished in this attack). Despite this, no real international pressure is being put on Saudi Arabia and fellow members of the Sunni Muslim alliance – nor is pressure being put on America, France, and the United Kingdom. Therefore, it merely gives the credence that war crimes and economic sanctions are nothing more than a tool for powerful international and regional nations.
Mark Lowcock, the aid chief for the United Nations, said, “The toll is unbearably high. The immune systems of millions of people on survival support for years on end are now are literally collapsing, making them – especially children and the elderly – more likely to succumb to malnutrition, cholera and other diseases.”
The BBC reports, “Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened after the rebel Houthi movement seized control of much of the west of the country and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.”
The same media source in another article stipulates, “The fighting and a partial blockade by the coalition has also left 22 million people in need of humanitarian aid, created the world’s largest food security emergency, and led to a cholera outbreak that is thought to have affected a million people.”
It is incumbent on the international community to find a collective conscience by putting pressure on major Western powers and members of the Sunni Muslim alliance led by Saudi Arabia. If not, then the situation will further spiral out of control and more will perish in this senseless war.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45964795
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45128367v
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