The American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) expresses its serious concerns regarding the international community’s relative lack of attention to the Yemeni refugee crisis. Millions of Yemenis are facing the uncertain and the unknown with millions displaced in their own country and thousands having fled the country. This immense crisis is the result of months of bloody conflict with no end in sight.
According to the United Nations and human rights relief groups, Yemen is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis with more that 80 percent of the Yemeni population directly impacted by the war. Millions of Yemenis find themselves lacking the most basic human needs of food, healthcare, clean water, etc. The suffering is most acute among children.
The United Nations and relief agencies have been warning that the situation in Yemen is becoming one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today – second only to the Syrian crisis. One and a half million children suffer malnutrition; including 370,000 enduring very severe malnutrition that weakens their immune system. It is very alarming that the plight of Yemeni refugees outside Yemen is barely mentioned or talked about. In many cases, they are not even provided with any help in the host country.
Yemen needs to be at the top of the World’s agenda. The plight of Yemeni refugees should not be ignored. As with other refugees, countries of the world need to work on helping find host countries for them. AHRC-USA demands that the US administration and the UN pay immediate attention to those helpless and hapless refugees and provide them with equal opportunity to access safe haven and humanitarian relief.
AHRC-USA warns that ignoring the Yemeni refugee crisis and keeping it unattended to, will needlessly add to the pain and suffering of the Yemeni people who have been victims of the ongoing war and conflict in Yemen.
“Yemenis, our brothers and sisters in humanity, are in need of the world’s attention to their plight,” said Imad Hamad, AHRC Executive Director. “While other countries are getting the world’s media attention, Yemen isn’t. All lives are precious and all human beings have human rights and deserve attention and relief,” continued Hamad.