DUBAI // Yemenis who live in the UAE are fearful for their families and worry about a looming humanitarian crisis after the recent military escalation in their homeland.
Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, was shaken by a series of airstrikes by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition this week targeting the Houthi rebels who have taken over the capital and overrun much of the country, forcing president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi to flee abroad.
Abdulhakeem Rajeh, 32, from Sanaa, said: “I’ve been calling my family two or three times a day. The fear starts at night. They can’t leave the house, they’re stuck there. They can’t go to school. The situation was slightly better before the airstrikes but I guess it has to get worse before it gets better. The sound of the strikes scares my children.”
Mr Rajeh said he has three children, his wife, brothers and mother all in the same house. “I call to console them,” he said.
Amr Al Faqih, 29, from Taez, Yemen’s third largest city, which was taken over by the Houthis before the airstrikes, said the situation was not as bad in his hometown.
“My family are OK. They’re staying put at home and they don’t mind even if it took a few days,” he said.
“I just want to be around so I can provide them with the basic needs. As long as these needs are met, I think we can weather this. The part of Taez where I’m from is also doing better than other places such as Sanaa, even though much of my city was captured by the Houthis.”
Some Yemenis have expressed appreciation for the coalition force, which includes the UAE, that has taken a stand against the Shiite rebels threatening to plunge the country into civil war.
Ahmed Al Kheder, 42, said: “My family’s spirits are high even though they live in the city centre of Lauder, in Abyan.
“When there’s a wound, it’s painful. Curing it with these methods ... is necessary for it to heal. Even if innocent lives were lost, it might be worth it because it’ll save many more lives in the future. It’s either you burn it or amputate it [the wound] and this is what’s happening in Yemen right now. I hope the strikes end tonight ... but these measures are understandable.”
Jalal Al Mosawar, 33, from Abyan governorate, said events in his homeland were giving him sleepless nights.
“I have family in Sanaa and Abyan,” he said. “I wake up following the news wanting to know where the strikes landed and I pray that no civilians got hurt. You fear the strikes but applaud the response. The rebels and the coup are troubling us.
“The repercussions of the events leading to this were huge, security-wise and economically. I really hope that the Houthi rebels will be crushed. Maybe one day we can join the GCC and experience the stability you have.”
Mr Al Mosawar also said there could be problems in getting money to family at home.
“I tried sending money to my family but I was told that Western Union was no longer making transfers,” he said.
The deteriorating situation in Yemen could cause a bigger humanitarian crisis, especially as humanitarian organisations are fleeing the country due to the increasing security risks.
Julien Harneis of Unicef said last week: “If there isn’t the humanitarian support to the country, in six months or a year’s time, you will get a major humanitarian crisis around food security and malnutrition.”
nalremeithi@thenational.ae
