Yemen under militia’s grip: Hunger, poverty & mines

September Net

Yemen is the country where hunger, poverty and disease have not only devastated the bodies of millions of its own people, but exacerbated the waves of war that the insurgency has caused the Houthi militias.

The militias deliberately plant landmines everywhere and every inch of the the country, their hands are full of hatred and resentment against the Yemenis.

Ammar’s mother has lost her sole breadwinner. She has no longer  someone to provide her and her children with daily living.

Her husband was injured two years ago in landmine blast planted by Houthi militia west of Hodeida.

“A shrapnel from the mine entered his spine cord, causing him to be completely paralyzed,” she said.

Ammar’s father could barely bring food to his family and children before the incident. Now the family has nothing and no one.

“I’m helpless now in such situation,” she says.” I have five children, the oldest aged only 13.”

Um Ammar and her children has nothing to eat. “All we have is little food from our good neighborhood or from some aid organizations,” she says.

“We lost our dignified life due to war. We also lost our lonely breadwinner, she says.

“Before the war he could at least bring us food from his hard work. Now the war took his hand and back, he can’t even move.”

She thanks Allah to her husband is till alive no matter he works or not.

“..at least he is still alive, thanks God,” she said.

The story of UM Ammar is an example of thousands of families, whose sole breadwinners were killed or maimed by mines and explosive devices of Houthi militia.

Houthi militia has caused unimaginable suffering to families in Yemen.

“The one who used to buy me candy died, said Rahaf, 10, as she points at her father’s picture posted on the house wall.

I asked Rahaf’s mother how does she live after her husband’s death?

She couldn’t answer at first as she was sitting on the opposite side, with broken heart and filled sadness.

” May God never forgive who deprives us from,” she hardly replied with painful sigh.

With tearful eyes, she pointed at his picture and says “He was killed by in the explosion of mine planted by Houthi militia in Taiz.”

The Iran-backed Houthi militia has planted millions of landmines and improvise explosive devices in areas uses to be under their control.

All of those mines and improvised explosive devices, some of them hand-made, were planted on roads, farms and residential neighborhoods.

Thousands of civilians have been killed and maimed by such explosives.

Many families lost its sole breadwinner and source of income such as farmers.

This how Houthi mines claim the lives of people in Yemen, leaving huge impact not only on families but also on community as whole.

The victims of mines are probably those who depends on aid relief. The militia mines have complicated planting and harvesting, leaving thousands of people who dependent on agricultural without a source of income and hungry with food to eat.