Last week, the Biden administration called for an end to the Saudi-Led war on Yemen and pledged that the U.S would stop supporting the selling of weapons that have been used in the violence against Yemen.
“The U.S ending its support for the Saudi led effort provides a real opportunity to find an end to this war. The U.S should redirect its efforts to providing humanitarian relief to Yemen’s affected communities, aid that was halted during the Trump administration.” Rep. Abraham Aiyash says, the first Yemeni American elected to a State level office.
The Saudi-led war began back in 2015 and has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The United States has sold billions of dollars-worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia since the start of the war. What began as a civil conflict, has turned into an international war on Yemen.
The Yemen Data Project reports that there have been 22,611 Coalition Air Raids since the start of the war, resulting in 18,569 casualties leaving 9,810 injured and 8,759 dead. Coalition Air Raids are the bombs dropped in Yemen by the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and backed by the United States and United Kingdom.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that there have been an estimated 233,000 deaths in Yemen, with majority being from famine and the absence of health services.
“The people of Yemen want nothing more than a country that is democratic, free, safe, and without foreign interference. The continuing war has devastated communities and the country’s infrastructure like never before. The war has physically demolished buildings, crumbled the social infrastructure, and has left millions homeless and starving. Fighting, fear, and famine are now the norm for so many Yemeni children and families – and that is reprehensible.” Rep. Aiyash says.
“Politics aside, we have let far too many innocent lives be taken during this war. I still have family in Yemen, everyday people who are dying from starvation and violence. There is never an excuse for the violence, and I am glad to see President Biden taking a stand.”
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