The heavy rains of recent weeks left dozens of victims, including children. The affected families are 35,000, many internally displaced. Diseases such as cholera, dengue and malaria are spreading and increasing. The UN special envoy seeks a lasting ceasefire, but diplomacy remains fragile. The drama of dropping out of school.
Sana’a () – Devastating floods, widespread poverty, child labour, and a considerable part of the population reduced to hunger. Meanwhile, a fragile truce is in force that UN diplomacy is trying to shore up to put an end to the confrontation between factions, with a lasting ceasefire agreement. Yemen is a nation that has been at war for a long time, as recalled on August 24 by the Pope Francisco, one of the few world voices that has kept the attention on the conflict. A war that is already eight years old, in a country that is going through a very serious crisis, despite some timid steps forward.
At this time, the greatest source of concern is on the climatic-environmental front, due to the devastating floods that are affecting the region. A note from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) speaks of “weeks of rains and floods” on an “exceptional” scale that have unleashed “chaos” throughout the country, “killing dozens of people, destroying houses, land farms, roads and vital infrastructure”. An emergency that adds to a general scenario “in which millions of people are affected by the consequences of the conflict, which are increasingly serious.”
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs reports that “at least 90 people died, including children” between July 28 and August 10 due to flooding. Added to them are “some 35,000 families, most of whom are internally displaced persons.” These people have been affected in various ways “by the floods” in 17 different provinces. Floods, war, displacement and food insecurity endanger the future of the nation and its people. Basic services, such as drinking water, electricity and an “extremely fragile” health system, are at risk. The heavy rains have contributed to the spread of seasonal diseases such as cholera, dengue and malaria, which “continue to claim victims” in a context in which only 51% of the country’s health centers are operational – at least partially .
In a climate of continuing instability and insecurity, it is even more important for experts to shore up the fragile truce that has been renewed by the warring parties. This week, the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, confirmed that he wanted to “intensify” efforts for “talks on a lasting ceasefire” and the “resumption of the political process” led by the Yemenis themselves. On August 2, representatives of the Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government extended the ceasefire for two months. The truce began on April 2 and lasted until October 2, in fact sanctioning the longest period of cessation of hostilities since the conflict began, in 2014. However, in these months more than 150 civilians have died and This, concludes the UN envoy, the lack of agreement “could open new cycles of escalating violence.”
If the resumption of the conflict continues to be the greatest concern, one of the priorities is to guarantee the future of the population, especially young people, who in many cases cannot even attend schools – recently reopened – because they need to help their families. . “My friends study, I can’t,” he tells AFP Midian Aoud, 12, originally from Taez. “I dropped out of school to help my parents,” he adds. After washing cars, the boy worked with his father, Adnan, a shoemaker. “To study, you need books, notebooks, pens,” the man continues. “I would have liked to buy them to send my children to school, but I couldn’t. We are in a state of total misery.” “My children and I are illiterate,” he says disconsolately. “I would have liked something better for them, but I imagine that one day they will also be shoemakers. And this is not life!”
Unicef also sounds the alarm, noting that Yemen is going through a “very serious educational crisis.” The conflict and frequent school closures, aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have generated “a profound impact on learning and intellectual and emotional development”. The note from the UN Children’s Fund argues that this has harmed the mental health of at least 10.6 million children. To date, more than two million have dropped out of school, almost half a million more than in 2015. Because of the conflict, “at least one in four educational establishments is now unusable.”
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