Dozens of malnourished children are fighting for their lives in numerous Yemen hospitals, and these conditions are being created and continued because of the ongoing civil war and its’ devastating consequences. Famine is threatening the lives of citizens as the Yemeni Conflict escalates to a more dire situation. Thousands of Yemeni people have already been displaced from their homes, and they are lacking the necessary resources to survive; it is a humanitarian crisis on the scale of the Syrian Civil War.

According to UNICEF, as of April 2016, there are 370,000 children enduring severe malnutrition and 1.5 million Yemeni people are also starving. Food shortages are a long-term problem, but the situation has progressively gotten worse. Half of children under five are undersized due to suffering from unabating malnutrition. On top of that, sea blockade on rebel held areas enforced by the Saudi coalition prevent shipments of resources doesn’t present a very promising fate to the Yemeni people. The sea blockade and daily airstrikes, which have hit civilian targets including hospitals, are aimed to remove the rebels from the capital.

Vivek Jasty, a student at DVHS had this to say: ‘It truly is a shame that the Yemeni people are being caught between the crossfire of a conflict that they have little part in starting.’  Many echo these sentiments, as well as condemn the groups causing this damage. Saudi intervention and airstrikes have been a major cause of damage, as well as the Houthi rebels and the forces loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s crossfire.

The Yemeni Civil War began in 2015 between two factions wanting to control the Yemeni government, alongside their respective allies and sympathizers. Houthi forces controlling the capital Sana’a and allied forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh fought forces who sided with the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who are in Aden. The future of this conflict may be uncertain, but it is very clear that the people being left suffering cannot survive on their own against such terrifying odds.