Lack of international awareness about crisis in Yemen: survey

A YouGov poll carried out in Britain saw that more than half the population was unaware of the war in Yemen. This is despite the UK government's full fledged support for the military coalition engaged in Yemen.

Yemen's ongoing civil war has killed more than 100,000 people and displaced three million. A further 14 million are facing starvation.

The poll showed only 49 per cent of the respondents were aware of the civil war in Yemen. Moreover, the figure for the 18 to 24 age group was even lower at 37 per cent.



For the research, over 2,100 respondents were given a list of 16 countries and asked to identify any "currently involved in an ongoing armed conflict". Eighty-four per cent named the Syrian civil war.

The poll was commissioned by The Human Appeal, which is a Manchester-based charity. The charity warned about a lack of international awareness regarding the worsening conditions in Yemen.

“The crisis in Yemen has been forgotten about or ignored completely,” said CEO Othman Moqbel.

“We believe this is because that the conflict has not generated a huge amount of refugees coming to Europe and there is the misperception amongst the public that it’s only a regional crisis.

“To treat what is currently happening in Yemen, and has been happening for two years, as something insignificant is turning a blind eye to the escalating humanitarian emergency.”

According to estimates, at least 75 people are killed or injured everyday in the Yemen conflict. The country is also on the brink of famine with 14 million people lacking stable access to food.

Aid agencies are struggling to access war-torn regions, and less than half of the country's health facilities are operational. Around 1000 children are estimated to die every week from diseases like diarrhea and respiratory infections, due to lack of medical facilities.



The conflict started in March 2015 and there is a constant air campaign by Saudi Arabia, which is said to be responsible for 60 per cent of civilian deaths.

British manufactured weapons have been used to carry out air strikes carried by the military coalition. There have been calls by MPs to suspend sales to Saudi Arabia over allegations of war crimes.

As battles continue, the Human Appeal is among international charities attempting to provide aid to Yemen’s impoverished population.

The British Government has stressed that although it supports the Saudi-led intervention “to deter aggression by the Houthis and allow for the return of the legitimate Yemeni Government”, it is not part of the coalition.

“British personnel are not involved in carrying out strikes, directing or conducting operations in Yemen, nor involved in the Saudi targeting decision-making process,” a spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told The Independent.

“Peace talks are the top priority. The UK has played a leading role in diplomatic efforts, including bringing together key international actors to try and find a peaceful solution.”

This story originally appeared on The Independent