Yemen: Ten years of war, and eternity of loss

Today, approximately 20 million people in Yemen depend on aid to survive. There are still nearly five million displaced people, fleeing from one place to another due to violence or disasters.

The international community – which was previously affected by the horrific pictures of war and suffering – has turned its focus into new emergency situations. But the story has not yet ended for those who work in Yemen – and for those who live this crisis every day.

No one feels this reality more than our Yemeni colleagues, who have been in their positions throughout this period to help their people. Many of them have persevered in their work amid air strikes, instability and loss, while they are concerned about the safety of their families.

Now, with the escalation of tensions and the exacerbation of financing discounts, they are also afraid of their jobs. On the contrary, they have no option to start again. They cannot rely on savings or opportunities elsewhere, as their passport alone often determines their future.

This is the daily reality in a country that is often abbreviated in news headlines. But Yemen is much more than just a crisis area. It is a place with picturesque landscapes, ancient cities and traditions, generosity, and food that remains in your memory for a long time after your departure.

But these are not the stories that top the headlines. Instead, only Yemenis are seen through the lens of conflict and poverty. It is time to remember the people behind the statistics.

Like Basma, a mother of Hodeidah, she was forced to flee with her children to Mocha in search of safety and water. She was walking for hours every day just to fill a few sheets. Once, he fainted on her youngest children from thirst while waiting for the heat. For years, clean water was a dream for her, until a recent water project came to relieve her village.

Or Ibrahim, the seventieth man who was displaced by the heavy floods in Marib. When the water swept the camp in which he was living, his adult son with disabilities carried his back to safety.

They lost everything – their shelters, properties, and their feeling of stability – but Abraham never complained. Just focus on finding his son. Now, they live in a temporary tent exposed to weather factors, and they depend on aid that may not reach time or not at all.

Or Muhammad, a young man from Ethiopia, crossed the deserts and the areas of conflict, while only hopes for a better life. He did not reach the Gulf states, and instead he found himself stuck in Yemen – a detainee and a beating, and left without food or shelter.

By the time when he reached the response point of the International Organization for Migration, he was weak and with a psychological shock, and desperately wanted to return to his homeland. Only the option to registration for voluntary return – the journey of return to the homeland that many have not had.

These are only three of the millions of lives on the sidelines of this lengthy crisis. One of the poorest countries in the Arab world is getting poorer – not because of its people, but because the world turns its back on it slowly.

This war did not start yesterday, but its consequences are increasing day by day. The Yemenis do not blame what is happening in the world, yet they carry the whole minister. They do not need our compassion – they need our solidarity. Let this year be the year in which we have sympathy to work.

While the international community meets in conferences, submits pledges, and determines priorities, Yemen should not be left behind the knees. Yemenis are not just victims. They are survivors, career, builders, teachers, mothers, fathers, and children with hopes and aspirations like others.

But words alone will not keep people safe, feeder, or believers. Do not let these talks remain just words – Yemen needs to work. Imprisoning the matter now will not only be a failure of diplomacy, but will be a failure for humanity.