A rolling tragedy

the war in Yemen garners less headlines than the Syrian conflict, yet in terms of scale it is a greater tragedy

Every war is ugly but some are uglier than others. The Syrian conflict garners headlines most days, the war in Yemen rather less so yet in terms of scale it is a greater tragedy even than the bloodbath of Syria. Most people, certainly most people in Pakistan, will by now have forgotten the origins of the war. It is linked to the never-ending struggle for hegemony between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and both countries have proxy forces in the field. As ever the greatest number of casualties are civilians, one of the abiding characteristics of modern wars and Yemen is no exception.

The Saudis in their efforts to oust the Houthi rebels have effectively mounted a campaign of strategic starvation, denying the populace the aid they need. The principal port of entry for aid is Hodeidah currently held by the Houthis with the backing of Iran. A Saudi-led alliance of Arab states is now attacking the city and targeting the cranes that unload the aid supplies. According to the UN, there are 8.4 million Yemenis on the brink of famine and Hodeidah is their lifeline. If it falls and the blockade by the Saudis is completed then it is no exaggeration to say the famine is a reality and untold thousands, mostly civilians, are going to die.

Western nations are quietly backing the Saudis as a part of their own struggle with Iran and the UN blathers in the background largely powerless and a virtual irrelevance. There is general agreement that as the Syrian conflict fades into a miserable faux peace that Yemen is home to the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world. Arab states say, somewhat unconvincingly, that if they take Hodeidah then they will continue to operate the port as an aid entry point, lifting the import restrictions that they have themselves imposed.

Pakistan has no part in the war but a close interest in its outcomes. Saudi Arabia is a close ally, and Iran a state with which Pakistan has a many-stranded relationship with. The incoming government is going to need to get its foreign policy house in order sooner rather than later.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2018.

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