Yemen has been at the top of Washington’s foreign policy agenda over the last month. Most Americans find this surprising. Our trade with Yemen is minimal, there isn’t a large Yemeni American community, and few of us have Yemen on the top of our vacation list. Yet, while Yemen is far from the hearts and minds of most Americans, the reverse is not true. And we need to try to understand why.
Yemen is larger than California and has roughly the same population as Texas: almost 30 million people. Like California, it is immensely fertile when irrigated. It was in this region that coffee was first cultivated, and it’s where myrrh and frankincense came from. It also happens to be the epicenter of the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. The United Nations reports that this year, 54% of the population, 16.2 million people, will experience acute food insecurity. To make matters worse, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the misery and put additional pressure on a system that was already strained. How can a fertile region be plunged into a famine of biblical proportions? And why should it matter to Americans?
Yemen has been in some form of civil conflict for many years, but the scale and deadliness of the conflict dramatically increased in 2015 when Yemen’s neighbors, led by Saudi Arabia, joined the war. While the United States has not put boots on the ground, it has supplied arms and logistical support to the Saudi coalition in its bombing campaign in Yemen. It is, therefore, no surprise that the people of Yemen think often of the U.S.
And there’s another reason Yemenis think of America often. The U.S. is among the most generous providers of humanitarian aid to the nation.
In the past few months, both America’s tools of peace and war have been under vigorous debate in Washington, with a series of dizzying policy changes. The recent changes, which include ending the support for offensive bombing operations in Yemen and ending American restrictions that would have inhibited the supply of humanitarian aid, have been welcomed by the organizations delivering aid into the heart of the conflict zones, including the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.
ADRA, whose global work aims to reflect God’s love and care for humanity, especially those in need and distress, is among the largest international humanitarian organizations in Yemen with 530 aid workers providing food, water, healthcare, and a range of development assistance in 12 of Yemen’s 21 governorates. In the heart of the war and famine, we see every day the immense suffering of ordinary people, every one of them as precious as our own family. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres correctly states that today in Yemen, we face the risk of a famine that “would probably have had no parallel in recent history, except for the famous famine in Ethiopia many decades ago.”
This means what is happening in Yemen touches every American. We are a generous people. When confronted with mass suffering, our values and our faith compel us to help. But, unlike the 1980s, this time we can’t wait for music superstars to record a “We are the World” anthem to shock us out of our complacency. We need to act now to avert a major humanitarian catastrophe. If we don’t, millions of lives may be lost.
The U.S. is currently working to foster a solution. We are advocating for peace, ending support for the war, and reducing the barriers to humanitarian assistance. These are tough, complicated, and at times imperfect decisions in a very difficult environment, and each move has advantages and disadvantages. However, we need to remind ourselves that these are necessary decisions meant to prevent mass starvation that would undoubtedly shock our consciences. Before it is too late, we need to rally together to support necessary food and humanitarian aid to save innocent lives.
Yemen may feel far away, but what is happening there has a lot to do with us. Let’s do our part to end hunger and suffering there. And when the war in Yemen is over, and we are able to travel again, few places on earth compare to the beauty and culture of Yemen and the warmth and generosity of its people. Add it to your bucket list. You won’t regret it.
Michael Kruger is the president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency.
