A new report from the UN found September to the be deadliest month for civilians yet in 2019, unsurprising given the large number of airstrikes. UN data showed 388 killed or injured in the month.
The UN singled out a number of “gruesome examples” in their reports,
including Saudi airstrikes against mosques and family homes, and an
attack on a UN water system which provided water for 12,000 Yemenis.
They added this remains the world’s worse humanitarian crisis.
At the same time, the UN report was upbeat, claiming there is some hope,
albeit fragile hope, that the situation could soon improve. They cited
the deal in Aden which has led to calm in the major southern city, and
interest among Houthis and Saudis in a ceasefire in the north.
These are hopeful chances for relative calm, though so far there is a
lot of resistance to any permanent, war-ending deal, particularly from
the Saudi-backed Yemen government, which doesn’t want any power-sharing
agreements or to consider anything that doesn’t return to them absolute
rule of the whole country. That has gotten in the way of past peace
talks, and may well again.
September Deadliest Month for Yemen Civilians, But UN Sees Hope
UN officials upbeat on calm in Aden, interest in ceasefires
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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