To analyse
War in Yemen: abandoned, the population again plunged into horror
A little girl brings filled water bottles back to a camp for displaced people near Sanaa in Yemen, March 25, 2022. © KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS
Text by: Romain Mielcarek Follow
5 mins
Deprived of international observers, Yemen plunges again into the worst levels of violence, while talks for a truce began on Tuesday in Riyadh.
Many civilians are killed, the belligerents taking advantage of the mobilization of the international community in other crises, to the greatest despair of the populations.
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“
This is the deadliest year since 2016
, warns Iona Craig, who compiles data collected on the war for the NGO Yemen Data Project.
There were as many deaths in the first two months of 2022 as in the previous two years.
Since the dissolution of the
Group of Eminent Experts (EGE)
, the death toll has tripled every month.
»
The EGE had, since its deployment in September 2017, made it possible to better monitor human rights violations in Yemen.
In the conclusions of its four successive reports, it has repeatedly called for belligerents - the Houthi rebels supported by Iran on the one hand and the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on the other - stop targeting civilians.
He also demanded that major arms suppliers, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, stop supporting Riyadh.
This pressure probably caused Saudi Arabia, responsible for a particularly deadly air campaign, to hold back for several years.
The latter responded by carrying out unprecedented lobbying, documented by the British newspaper
The Guardian
, to put an end to this observation mission.
Several countries voted against the renewal of the mandate of the EGE, some in exchange for investments, others for fear of seeing their nationals banned from pilgrimage to Mecca.
Riyadh thus obtained the suspension of the EGE in October 2021,
a tragic first
in the history of the UN Human Rights Council.
Saudi bombardments have resumed with renewed vigour, targeting civilian infrastructure in particular.
Projections by the Yemen Data Project raise fears that progress made under EGE watch will be lost and Yemenis will plunge back into the most extreme violence.
Projections by the Yemen Data Project raise fears of a number of deaths ranging from 470 to 5,000 for the current year.
In the best of cases, it would be the worst record since the establishment of the EGE.
© Yemen Data Project
Impunity
Accountability mechanisms are a tool deployed in most conflicts to provide civilian victims with remedies in the face of violence.
By naming those guilty of reprehensible acts under the law, the international community and civil society find themselves in a position to exert pressure on the States concerned.
"
It works and it has a direct effect on the ground, we have experienced it
," says Radhya Al-Mutawakel, president of the Yemeni NGO Mwatana for Human Rights.
We have seen it with the presence of the EGE.
The monitoring and reports published by these experts have helped to document human rights violations and have prompted belligerents to take better account of the protection of civilians.
Saudi Arabia's airstrikes, in particular, have become rarer and more precise, whereas from 2014 to 2017, they very regularly hit targets whose military interest seemed derisory.
Back to square one for the populations.
"
We have the impression that impunity reigns and that the situation is only getting worse
," says Sukaina Sharafuddin, advocacy officer at the NGO Save The Children.
The young Yemeni mother describes the many challenges civilians face on a daily basis.
Parents who skip meals to feed their little ones, terrified children who keep wetting their beds, kids who live with shrapnel in their bodies, for lack of care.
“
My child is in danger everywhere
, she says.
At school, he is in danger.
At home, he is in danger.
But I am one of the lucky ones: many see their children die of hunger
.
»
The number of civilian casualties dropped dramatically after the publication of the EGE's first report in 2018. Without these witnesses to alert, human casualties climb again rapidly after the suspension of its mandate in October 2021. © Yemen Data Project
Feeling of abandonment
“
We spoke to many states, but we did not manage to find a champion
, regrets Radhya Al-Mutawakel.
That is, a state or a group of states that could present a resolution before the UN General Assembly to demand the establishment of a new accountability mechanism for Yemen.
It should be easy.
But far too many states fear displeasing Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates
.
»
Within the United Nations, emergencies chase each other and Yemen sinks into disinterest.
"
Ukraine takes all the energy at the UN
," notes Sherine Tadros, Amnesty's advocacy officer at the headquarters of the international organization.
All other files have been set aside.
One way to be positive could be to say that if we obtain real results on the accountability of the belligerents in Ukraine, we could then make it a new standard for other countries at war.
»
Little hope for the Yemenis who see the abandonment to which they are subject, while the international community is mobilizing on other fronts.
In
the case of Ukraine
, the Human Rights Council decided to create a commission to document violations of international law as early as March 4, a week after the start of the Russian offensive.
“
Don't push us to be jealous of other civilians in other conflict zones
, calls out Radhya Al-Mutawakel.
In all conflicts, civilians deserve to be defended, wherever they come from.
»
►Also read: Report - War in Ukraine: Lviv's humanitarian hive
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