The people of Yemen are suffering from man-made starvation. According to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, 14 million people are now at risk of famine. Of a population of 29 million, more than 22 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, and nearly half of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition.
Red Sea ports, notably that of Hudaydah, have been subject to recurring blockades, searches, and restrictions by Saudi-led coalition forces. Hudaydah is by far the most important port in Yemen which prior to the war received 70-80% of imported food supplies.
Delays, fear of attacks, and general uncertainty have deterred many commercial vessels from docking in Hudaydah. The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that in November 2018 food shipments decreased by 50% as many commercial ships did not dock there due to fighting. At the port, vessels confront a lack of basic services: coalition airstrikes destroyed cranes used to lift containers off ships, and the severe fuel shortage results in delays to transport shipments within Yemen. WFP, for example, currently holds 58,434 tonnes of cereals in silos in Hudaydah but is unable to access 51,000 tonnes of those stocks.
Delivery of humanitarian assistance has also been obstructed within the country by the de facto powers in Sanaa (the Ansarallah and allied forces) through excessive bureaucratic procedures, attempts to control the delivery of aid, interference as to who receives it, and toleration of bribery.
Coalition airstrikes have systematically targeted agricultural land, poultry farms, extension services, food processing plants, rural markets, fishing boats, and small ports. By the end of 2017 nearly every fish-offloading port on the Red Sea coast had been struck, 220 fishing boats destroyed, and 146 fishermen killed. Agricultural land and infrastructure have been heavily targeted. This has been devastating to Yemen, a country where before the war, 73% of the population relied on fishing and agriculture for their livelihoods.
Bearing in mind International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Article 54 of Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions that states:
- Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited, and,
2. It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as foodstuffs, agricultural areas for the production of foodstuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works, for the specific purpose of denying them for their sustenance value to the civilian population or to the adverse Party, whatever the motive, whether in order to starve out civilians, to cause them to move away, or for any other motive,
and Article 70 of Protocol I Additional:
The Parties to the conflict and each High Contracting Party shall allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of all relief consignments, equipment and personnel provided in accordance with this Section, even if such assistance is destined for the civilian population of the adverse Party,
We demand:
- An end to all delays and obstructions impeding delivery of humanitarian aid (both in-cash and in-kind), and a firm guarantee that ports will remain operational and free from attack;
2. An immediate end to military operations, especially targeting of essential food and agriculture infrastructure, including fishing vessels and markets;
3. Resumption of payment of salaries to government employees suspended for the last two years and support for the Yemeni Riyal through a professionally managed central bank;
4. Mobilization of funds for humanitarian assistance and recovery programmes to help Yemenis to rebuild their millennial systems of food production;
5. Support for efforts to build national dialogue and to formulate a peace agreement that respects Yemeni sovereignty.
We welcome the peace negotiations convened by UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths. These can only bear fruit if the causes of today’s imminent famine conditions are brought to an end.
To that end, we call upon members of the international community, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, Spain, Brazil, and Finland, to halt forthwith all arms sales to parties in this conflict.
We urge countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt, and Sudan to terminate their military engagement and to contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
In spite of the repeated calls by civil society organisations over the years of the war, the suffering in Yemen has grown. We hereby renew the call to the international community to halt the starvation of the Yemeni people.
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The signatory organisations of this appeal:
Arab Network for Food Sovereignty (ANFS) - Arab Region
Al Hekma Organization
Arab Group for the Protection of Nature - Jordan
Jordanian Women’s Union - Jordan
La Fédération Nationale Du Secteur Agricole (FNSA) - Morocco
Iraqi Society for Nutrition and Food Safety - Iraq
National Confederation of Traditional Fishing in Morocco (CNPAM) - Morocco
National Observatory of Participatory Citizenship -Tunis
Iraqi Association for the Defense of Consumer Rights - Iraq
Energy Conservation Society - Jordan
Coalition of Lebanese Civil Society Organizations - Lebanon
Al Nahda Rural Society - Palestine
National Palestinian Heritage Association - Lebanon
Reseau Maghrebin D'associations De Développement Local En Milieu Rural - Tunisia
Association Pour Le Développement Durable Médenine - Tunisia
Bethlehem Farmers Association - Palestine
Stop the Wall- Palestine
People's Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) - International
La Via Campesina - Global
Palestinian Agricultural Farmers’ Union - Palestine
Salam for Yemen - France
Al-Amal Association - Iraq
Al-Mashreq Institute for Geopolitics Studies - Jordan
Al-Mustaqbal Association - Yemen
Al-Sadakah Roma Capitale - Italy
Arab Commission for Human Rights - France
Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development - Mena
Arab Women Organization of Jordan - Jordan
Arcade - Senegal / Africa
Association Marocaine des Droits Humains - Morocco
Association Youth for the “Right to Live” - Moldova
Badr Adduja - Jordan
Balkan Civil Society Development Network - Macedonia
CEDETIM/IPAM
Centre for Human Rights and Development - Mongolia
Centre for Research and Advocacy - Manipur
Centro Internazione Crocevia - Italy
Civil Society forum of Tonga - Tonga
Coalition for Grassroot People - Tanzania
Coalition of Civil Society - Lebanon
Cordillera Peoples Alliance - Philippines
CRLDHT
Eastern and Southern Africa Small Scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) - Eastern and Southern Africa
Fian - Colombia
Fian - International
Food4humanity - Yemen
Food Sovereignty in Action - Europe
Forum of Tomorrow for Culture and Creativity - Yemen
Gasp Vimodrone - Italy
Human Environmental Association for Development - Lebanon
Human Life Foundation - Yemen
Human Unity Movement (HUM) - Pakistan
Improve Your Society Organization - Yemen
Indigenous Community - Cambodia
Institute for National and Democracy Studies (INDIES) - Indonesia
Instituto Humanitas Unisinos (IHU) - Brazil
International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation - Philippines
International Jurists Forum - Italy, Norway and Arab World
Iraqi Firdaws Society - Iraq
Iraqi Organization for Rehabilitating Society and Environment (IRAQIOFRSE) - Iraq
Jerusalem Forum - Jordan
Jordanian Women Association (JWA) - Jordan
Journalists Association and Creators - Yemen
Kuwaiti Social Work Association - Kuwait
La Casa Del Pan - Mexico
Labor's Union for Change and Construction - Yemen
Labour, Health and Human Rights Development Centre - Nigeria
Lebanese Communist Party - Lebanon
Maan Nartaqi - Yemen
Mobadron Foundation for Social Development - Yemen
Moroccan Forum of Environmental Initiatives - Morocco
Moubarak Establishment for Agriculture – Lebanon
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People – Niger – Ogoniland
Mtü Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies - Middle East
Musaala Organization for Human Rights - Yemen
Nataj Organization - Libya
National Organization for Humanitarian Action (NOHA) - Yemen
New Horizon Conference - Iran
Observatoire De La Souveraineté Alimentaire Et De L'environnement (OSAE) - Tunisia
Organización De Mujeres Campesinas E Indígenas Conamuri - Paraguay
Palestinian Forum for Immigration, Asylum and Return - Palestine
Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) - Palestine
Pembaru - Indonesia
Progress for Development - Yemen
Relief and Development Peer Foundation (RDP) - Yemen
Roots for Equity - Pakistan
Sada Foundation (SFBD) - Yemen
Sanid Organization for Releif & Development - Yemen
Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights - Yemen
Society for International Development (SID) - International
Soqotra Organization for Biodiversity and Sustainability (SOBS) - France
SOS Faim - Luxemburg
Sri Lanka Nature Group - Sri Lanka
Studies & Economic Media Center - Yemen
Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN) - Uganda
Syrian Women Organization - Syria
Tanzania Organization for Agricultural Development (TOFAD) - Tanzania
The Farmworker Association of Florida, Inc. - Florida
Together to Protect Human & Environment Association - Iraq
Transnational Institute - Global
Tunisian League for Human Rights - Tunisia
UAF - Morocco
Union of Agricultural Work Committees - Palestine
Unionists Against War - Canada
Unissons-Nous Pour La Promotion des Batwa (UNIPROBA) - Burundi / Africa
Welfare Togo - Togo
Wogood for Human Security - Yemen
Women Cultural and Social Society - Kuwait
Women for Palestine - Lebanon
World Peace Foundation - USA
Yemen International Trade Union Confederation - Africa
Yemen Organization for Women's Policies - Yemen and Netherlands
Yemen Social and Solidarity Economy Centre (YESSEC) - France
YLRD Foundation - Yemen
Youth Spirit Foundation for Human and Community Development (YSFHCD) - Yemen
YWCA - Jordan
Zambia Social Forum (ZAMSOF) - Zambia