Tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed in a war that has ripped the nation apart over the past three years. Among the dead are members of Fahd Syed’s family.
Some were killed by bombs dropped by the Saudis; one was tortured by Houthi rebels who cut his tongue out.
Syed and other Yemeni-Americans joined U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy at the Legislative Office Building Friday to highlight the human toll of the war and turn public attention to efforts to stop it.
“What’s happening in Yemen, the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, matters to us here in this state,’’ said Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat. “It matters to us because injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere … but we also have a very proud, very strong Yemeni-American community here in Connecticut, who care deeply about what is happening back home.’’
Yemen, one of the Arab world’s poorest nations, has been embroiled in civil war since Houthi rebels sought to seize power in 2015. A coalition of nations, led by Saudi Arabia, intervened, conducting bombing strikes that have resulted in more than 10,000 direct deaths. While accurate casualty counts are difficult to come by, humanitarian agencies believe thousands more have died due to starvation and cholera.
Fatimah Aulaqi, a Waterbury resident and the daughter of immigrants from Yemen, said the scope of the anguish is unfathomable. “The people of Yemen are suffering of poverty, hunger, thirst, malnutrition and displacement,” she said. As a member of Yemen Aid, she has raised more than $600,000 to help with the humanitarian crisis.
E. Anne Peterson, senior vice president of global programs for the Stamford-based aid organization Americares, said the outbreak of cholera in Yemen, the world’s largest, is completely preventable. “Thousands of people who have died of cholera in Yemen should have never died,’’ Peterson said. “It is preventable and easily treatable.”
Murphy is pursuing a political solution in Congress.
The U.S. has been providing its allies, the Saudis, with military support, something Murphy and a bipartisan group of senators are trying to stop. They authored a resolution that invokes the War Powers Act to cease military support for the campaign in Yemen. On Wednesday, the Senate approved the resolution by a 63-37 vote; full debate on the matter is expected next week.
“This is not a humanitarian disaster that the United States is a spectator to,’’ Murphy said Friday in Hartford. “We are a cause of it.”
The U.S. is providing Saudi Arabia with weapons, helping with selecting targets and aiding with midair refueling. The U.S. role has also given the Saudis a moral boost, Murphy said.
“Without the United States participation, Saudi Arabia cannot do the damage they are doing,’’ Murphy said. “This is a civilian nightmare that has a U.S. imprint on it.’’
Syed said he hopes the measure will pass soon. “I believe we need to support this bill,’’ he said. “We’re talking about saving millions of people’s lives.’’
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Murphy long has been an outspoken advocate to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led campaign but past efforts have failed to gain traction.
This year, mounting anger over the Saudis role in — and subsequent cover-up of — the murder of U.S. resident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi changed the tenor of the debate, Murphy said.
“When the Saudis lied to our faces for two weeks about what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, it laid bare the tactics they use to try to manipulate their friends,’’ Murphy said.
He believes the resolution will pass both the Senate and the House, likely by veto-proof majorities.
Murphy notes that the Saudi-led campaign isn’t the sole cause of the devastation in Yemen. The Houthi rebels are also responsible for pain and suffering, such as the torture of Syed’s cousin.
“There is malevolent behavior on both sides of this civil war,’’ Murphy said. “We focus on the Saudi side because that’s the side we’re on … but the Houthis are committing awful atrocities as well.”
