Confirming that terribly sad fact, Catholic Relief Services reports, "Conflict and a lack of aid has triggered a humanitarian disaster, leaving 80 percent of the population in need of assistance, including 2 million children suffering from acute malnutrition.

"Hunger is on the rise, and basic services like education, water, health and sanitation have deteriorated. These conditions triggered an unprecedented cholera outbreak in Yemen - the worst in history."

And to be honest, Yemen was a blip on my radar screen, that is, until I met Barbara Deller.

For 12 years Deller worked as a hospital nurse-midwife in Yemen, and later served as a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, advising ministries of health in numerous countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

She explained to me that when Houthi rebels took control of Yemen's government, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia attacked the Houthis because the Houthis are backed by Iran - Saudi Arabia's archrival.

Deller added that the Saudi Arabian-led bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels, as well as the counterattacks by the Houthi's, have greatly increased the suffering of this already desperately impoverished nation of 30 million people.

All sides have resorted to awful atrocities in this war.

However, Saudi Arabia has killed most of the civilians and bombed away much of the country - destroying numerous hospitals, schools, residential areas, water treatment facilities, food manufacturing facilities and farmland.

Furthermore, with U.S. military aid and support from several other nations, Saudi Arabia has been pounding Yemen for the last six years with ongoing airstrikes; and is suffocating Yemen with a crippling air, land and sea blockade.

The Saudi-led campaign could not continue without the military and political support of the U.S.

Friends in Yemen recently shared with Deller that life is hard, bombing continues, and they are constantly in fear.

According to the United Nations "Yemen remains the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the situation for the millions of affected people is deteriorating … Malnutrition rates in Yemen are at record highs as the country is speeding towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades".

Although President Biden announced the U.S. would no longer supply Saudi Arabia with "offensive" weapons in its war against Yemen, however, he also indicated that his administration would provide the Saudis with "defensive" military support - like providing commercial contractors to service Saudi warplanes which continue to kill countless innocent Yemeni children and adults.

Any support of Saudi Arabia in its brutal war against suffering Yemenis is unconscionable.

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings. Tony can be reached at tmag6@comcast.net

This is an increase of almost 50% on the value of arms licensed in the four years preceding the war, which amounted to £3,572,049,751 worth of arms (26 March 2011 - 25 March - 2015).

According to the United Nations, the bombing has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

UK-made fighter jets, bombs and missiles have all played a central role in the bombing.

Since the bombing of Yemen began in March 2015, the UK has licensed £5.3 billion worth of arms to the Saudi regime, including:

• £2.7 billion worth of ML10 licences (Aircraft, helicopters, drones)
• £2.5 billion worth of ML4 licences (Grenades, bombs, missiles, countermeasures)

In reality the figures are likely to be a great deal higher, with most bombs and missiles being licensed via the opaque and secretive Open Licence system.

In June 2019 the Court of Appeal ruled that the Government has acted unlawfully when it licensed the sale of UK-made arms to Saudi forces for use in Yemen without making an assessment as to whether or not past incidents amounted to breaches of International Humanitarian Law. Continue reading

Last August the United Nations (UN) found actions taken by the Saudi- and UAE-led coalition in Yemen might amount to war crimes. They include rape, torture and using child soldiers as young as eight.

Save the Children wants an immediate ban of Australian defence export licenses to Saudi Arabia and other parties to the Yemen conflict, as the Australian government has been underwriting weapons purchases.

These purchases include providing tens of millions of dollars to Electro Optic Systems (EOS), which has designed a remotely operated vehicle-mounted platform.

The platform holds cannons, machine guns and missile launchers.

Australian Defence officials have confirmed the government spent taxpayer funds to support developing weapons systems.

Save the Children Director of Policy and International Programs Mat Tinkler is concerned about Australia's weapons' exports.

"Australia is becoming increasingly isolated in our support for the Saudi-led coalition in this way," said Mr Tinkler.

"The world over, nations have taken steps to end arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in light of the UN's finding of possible war crimes".

The Australian Government announced in January 2018 its ambition to become a top 10 defence exporter in the world.

The Australian Department of Defence's Senate Estimates confirm the government had granted export permits to an Australian company that sold 500 weapons mounting systems to Saudi Arabia.

Tinkler says the fact that Australia is "still exporting defence equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE raises serious questions about what role we're playing in prolonging this war, in prolonging the suffering of children in Yemen.

"Many Australians would be rightly be shocked to learn that Australia could potentially be contributing to the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

Australian news outlet, ABC, claims it has seen confidential EOS board minutes which describe signing a Letter of Intent for the sale of 500 remote weapons systems units destined for the Saudi Ministry of Interior.

Following the ABC's report, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne told a Senate Estimates hearing that a ban on the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia was under review.

Source

• Save the Children
• ABC
• Image: www.alarby.co.uk

Using data compiled by the UN, Save the Children evaluated mortality rates for untreated cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition. Read more

Yemen is facing the largest humanitarian crisis of this time, according to the United Nations. Read more

The United Nations estimates 8.4 million people are on the brink of famine.

So far at least 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since the war broke out in Yemen in March 2015.

Cafod, a Catholic Aid agency, says the Saudi-led coalition's assault on Hodeida, Yemen's main port city, will have a "catastrophic impact" on the ability of relief groups to get food, medicine and other aid to vulnerable Yemeni families in urgent need of assistance.

This is because 90 percent of all Yemen's food imports pass through Hodeida.

"Any disruption to the port's operation will affect the entire country," says Giovanna Reda, CAFOD's head of humanitarian programmes for the Middle East.

"CAFOD [the overseas aid agency of the bishops of England and Wales] partner staff in the country remain on the frontline, doing everything they can to reach people who are in urgent need of humanitarian aid."

"Hunger affects 17 million Yemenis, which is 60 per cent of the population. People do not know where and when they will get their next meal."

Furthermore, Reda says millions don't have access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation.

"Last year, the country faced the largest outbreak of cholera, claiming the lives of thousands of people."

About 22 million people in Yemen, representing about three-quarters of the population, are dependent on food aid.

Almost 400,000 children under the age of five are severely or acutely malnourished. Many have died of starvation.

The UN is calling for all parties to the conflict "to meet their obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and take active steps to respect international humanitarian law."

Source

• ABC
• The Catholic Register
• Christian Today
• Image: newsweekme

"[Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj] has assured us Father Tom is safe and negotiations are on for his release which could happen very soon," said Father Joseph Chinnaiyan, deputy secretary of the bishops' conference.

Father Tom Uzhunnalil was captured from the southern Yemeni city of Aden by gunmen who killed at least 15 people at an attack of a home for the elderly.

"Swaraj has categorically assured the delegation that Uzhunnalil is safe and that the government is adopting all possible means for his quick and safe release," the bishops' conference said in a statement.

Swaraj, however, told the bishops that details of the negotiations and the technicalities involved with the negotiations cannot be divulged "as it would endanger the process of the release."

Aden has been racked by lawlessness since Hadi supporters, backed by Gulf Arab military forces, drove fighters of the Iran-allied Houthi group from the city in July last year.

International aid groups have pulled most of their foreign staff from Yemen due to security concerns.

Sources

Times of India
The Indian Express
Christian Today
Image: Christian Today

"I have no confirmation that anything happened Good Friday," Bishop Paul Hinder, head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, told the Catholic News Service.

The bishop said he has "strong indications" that Father Uzhunnalil "is still alive in the hands of his kidnappers."

Father Uzhunnalil, an Indian, was kidnapped on March 4 from the home for the aged and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden, Yemen. Four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others were murdered in the attack.

Media reports during the Holy Week said Islamic State militants planned to crucify Father Uzhunnalil on Good Friday.

The Salesian order in India, however, said there was no evidence to support the reports and asked people to refrain from "spreading false rumors."

The Indian government said it was still actively trying to rescue the priest.

"We are making all efforts to secure his release," said Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj in a tweet.

Sources

UCAN
Catholic Herald
Catholic News Service
The Independent
Image: UCAN

In a message signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, Pope Francis called the attack an "act of senseless and diabolical violence."

Report said that four gunmen entered a center run by the Missionaries of Charity sisters in the city of Aden and handcuffed the victims before shooting them in the head.

It was the second attack on the missionary sisters. In 1998, three sisters were beaten to death when the Church of the Holy Family in Aden was attacked.

A Catholic church was burned, a Christian cemetery was vandalized, and an abandoned church was blown up in the country in the past 12 months

In the Vatican statement, Pope Francis prayed "that this pointless slaughter will awaken consciences, lead to a change of heart, and inspire all parties to lay down their arms and take up the path of dialogue."

The pontiff also appealed for an end to the conflict in Yemen, calling for all parties to "renounce violence, and to renew their commitment" to the people, particularly those most in need.

Sources

AP/ABC News
AP/Time
America Magazine
Crux
Image: AFP/Time

And to be honest, Yemen wasn't on my radar screen either, until I met Barbara Deller.

For 12 years Deller worked as a hospital nurse-midwife in Yemen, and later served as a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, advising ministries of health in numerous countries in Africa and Asia and the Middle East.

She explained to me that Saudi Arabia's military campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen has greatly increased the suffering of this already desperately impoverished nation of 27 million people.

Earlier this year, when Houthi rebels took control of Yemen's government, an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia attacked the Houthis because they claimed the Houthis are backed by Iran - Saudi Arabia's archrival.

With U.S. and British support, Saudi Arabia has been pounding Yemen for the last several months with ongoing airstrikes; and is suffocating Yemen with a crippling air, land and sea blockade.

Sadly, as is always the case with war, masses of innocent children, women and men are bearing the brunt of untold suffering.

Deller said, "My personal contacts in Yemen include a young woman in Sana'a [Yemen's largest city] who has three small children and is due to deliver any day now. She has little food and water.

"She said as the intense bombardment starts in the evening she lies with her children in the dark and used to pray that God would protect her and her family.

"Now she says she prays that God will let the next bomb kill them all as it is so excruciating waiting for a bomb to hit.

"If she has any problem while giving birth, she could easily die, as the one maternity hospital in the city has been bombed.

"All of her neighbors have fled the residential area, but they have no money and no place to go."

Reportedly, even before the war, about half the population lacked access to clean water, and the country imported 90 percent of its food from abroad. But in the last several months the ongoing Saudi-led airstrikes, along with its blockade, has pushed Yemen into a full-fledged humanitarian disaster.

In June, the United Nations raised Yemen's crisis status to Category 3 - its most severe level, shared only by Syria, South Sudan and Iraq.

In support of the plea of several nongovernmental aid agencies for a cease-fire, and the lifting of the blockade in Yemen (http://bit.ly/1hUYcoG), please email (http://1.usa.gov/1LAHIj2).

And please consider making a donation to Save the Children by calling (NZ) 0800 167 168. And request that your gift be designated for Yemen.

Yemen's Country Director for Save the Children, Edward Santiago, said "Children are bearing the brunt … not only have they been killed during airstrikes and fighting, but the homes, schools and hospitals they rely on have been damaged or destroyed. Many families don't have the food, fuel or medicine they desperately need to survive" as a result of the blockage.

As believers in the God of peace, how can we possibly ignore the suffering people of Yemen?

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist.