Giles Clarke: "Yemen is facing the world's biggest humanitarian crisis"
Aden, Yemen.
December 2020. Southern Transitional Council (STC) soldiers speed past two female Muhamasheen beggars in Lahj, Yemen.
The Muhamasheen caste has long been considered the most marginalized people in Yemen and treated as a social outcast.
© Giles Clarke
Text by: Clea Broadhurst
7 mins
"
... and the next chapter of this tragedy promises to be dark,
" adds Giles Clarke, British photojournalist based in New York, who covers the conflict in Yemen and is currently exhibiting his photos at the Visa pour l'image international photojournalism festival in Perpignan. .
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In March 2015, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, and supported by several Western governments, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, launched an intense airstrike campaign against Yemen.
It still continues today.
According to the UN, this war has so far claimed at least 230,000 victims.
Maintenance.
RFI
: Why did you choose to cover the conflict in Yemen in particular
?
Giles Clarke
:
I started in the spring of 2017, working with Ocha, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
We have been working together for years.
Yemen being a country in a major humanitarian crisis, a country riddled with conflict, we had to talk about it to highlight what was happening there.
At that time, the war had been raging for two years already, the situation was deteriorating rapidly, that's when I started to go into the field with Ocha.
I've been back with them four times since 2017. The last time was when most of these photos on display at Visa pour l'Image were taken: November and December 2020.
What struck you the most during your various trips there
?
As you can see in some pictures, we can see the malnutrition of children in a blatant way.
I have children and to see these babies in this state of extreme malnutrition is the epitome of this crisis.
We can clearly see the lack of medical equipment, the lack of food: the neglect of a country at war.
The various blockades also contribute to it.
This conflict has had a huge impact on women and children.
This is why it is absolutely necessary that the eyes are turned towards him.
Do you think that there is not enough talk about Yemen at the international level
?
Unfortunately, I got used to it.
Without wishing to show too much bitterness, it depends on the decisions of the media editors at their weekly meetings: what are we going to cover this week?
Sometimes I get a phone call asking me to work on a tragic event, which often lurks in the background if something happens in the meantime.
I fully understand that, but it makes it difficult to keep Yemen in the spotlight.
Ras al-Ara, Lahj, Yemen.
November 25, 2020. Ethiopian migrants wait to be examined by a mobile medical team from the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) after arriving by smuggler boats in southern Yemen from North Africa.
© Giles Clarke for UN / OCHA
In this photo, we can see young Ethiopian migrants who decide to flee their own conflict to go to Saudi Arabia or Yemen, without really knowing where they will end up. Who are they, where do they come from
?
Many of them come from the Tigris region, many are Oromos. They have roots in Somaliland, near Djibouti, or even Eritrea. They are looking for work and new opportunities: this is what pushes them to go to Saudi Arabia, via Yemen. Most of those I have spoken to are not even aware that there is a war going on in Yemen, as they themselves come from a conflict zone. So what difference does it make? They live in a conflict zone, so going through another, for them, there is no real difference ... They want to work in Saudi Arabia or further afield. What is more worrying is what has surfaced in recent days. I just heard about it and I'm still in shock: in the north of the country,in Houthi-held provinces, these migrants are now being recruited as mercenaries. The first burial of a Houthi "soldier" of North African origin has just taken place. This is very worrying. These young men are therefore going to be another reason to go to Yemen, one of the most alarming.
What contributes to perpetuate the war in Yemen, pushing people to flee certain regions
?
All this work dates from November and December. For example, here we are in the central region, in Marib: it was a more peaceful region, it is also where the main oil and electricity plants were located. This place gradually found itself surrounded by Houthi rebels, a large number of people living in the surrounding villages fleeing as these rebels approached Marib. This contributes to the three or even four million internally displaced people: people are going to Marib. We can see in this photo: the little girl who stands in a white circle - one of the anti-Covid protocols established by the United Nations, this little girl arrived with her mother two days before, fleeing the war to come to this city. Except that nowthis whole city is under threat too ... Every time I go back there, I see a disturbing new wave of violence.
Recently displaced Yemeni men and women wait at the United Nations Refugee Agency's "Rapid Response" distribution center in Marib City, standing in painted circles for social dancing.
These men were driven from their homes by the advancing Houthi forces west of the town of Marib a few days earlier and are now waiting to receive their first humanitarian aid consisting of blankets, hygiene kits and medical utensils. kitchen among other basic household items.
© Giles Clarke for UN / OCHA
And the war is not about to end
?
No, unfortunately the war is not going to end anytime soon in Yemen.
What is perhaps most worrying now is the fact that it has become more fragmented, between the warring militias, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda: there are a large number of actors on this land.
Before, there were more coalitions, specific targets and bombardments.
We still see this kind of thing, but less and less: it gives way to chaos.
With what is happening in Afghanistan today, what consequences for Yemen
?
Islamic State has always been a threat. Yemen is where Bin Laden founded al-Qaida: the country's mountains have always been a refuge for warring tribes and those they shelter. The problem with Yemen is this fragmentation: all the checkpoints are different from each other. When we are in the field, we must always move, we must always report on our situation. I work under the auspices of the United Nations when I am there, they are the ones who clear the roads, make them safe. The access needed to get these shots, in several different places, requires a lot of planning in terms of security: after the United States, it is the second most armed nation in the world, it is very visible and you can see it all over the country.I'm not saying we necessarily feel threatened, but it's a constant reminder that we are in a society that is ready to fight at any time.
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