News Release

Fast for Yemen: U.S. Bombing, Backing Saudi Destabilization, Famine

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YemyyyU.S. Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI), Justin Amash (R-MI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and 50 other Members of Congress just sent a bipartisan letter to President Trump calling on him to come to Congress before escalating military action in Yemen. They state: “The Trump administration is currently weighing options for direct military involvement in Yemen’s two-year-old civil war, where a coalition of military forces led by Saudi Arabia has fought against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Saudi coalition has conducted indiscriminate bombings and imposed a crippling blockade, provoking a dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen. This bipartisan effort also comes after President Trump showed his willingness to engage in Syrian missile strikes without Congressional authorization.”

See from Daniel McAdams: “Trump Drones Yemen More in One Week Than Obama in a Year” and Iona Craig’s piece in the Intercept: “Women and Children in Yemeni Village Recall Horror of Trump’s ‘Highly Successful’ SEAL Raid.”

MARTHA HENNESSY, marthahennessy [at] gmail.com
CARMEN TROTTA, trottacarmen [at] yahoo.com
KATHY KELLY, FastingForYemen [at] gmail.com
Hennessy, Trotta and Kelly are among 20 peace activists who are on day three of a week-long vigil and fast in front of the United Nations. They are “calling for peace and justice in Yemen, and standing in solidarity with its civilian population.” They will also be “demanding an end to U.S. complicity in a war that is taking a devastating toll on the Yemeni people.

“Ravaged by war, blockaded by sea, and regularly targeted with Saudi and U.S. airstrikes, Yemen is now on the brink of total famine.

“Yemen is currently being ravaged by a brutal conflict, with injustices and atrocities on all sides. More than 10,000 people have been killed, including 1,564 children, and millions have been displaced from their homes. UNICEF estimates that more than 460,000 children in Yemen face severe malnutrition, while 3.3 million children and pregnant or lactating women suffer acute malnutrition.The U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition is also enforcing a sea blockade on rebel-held areas. Yemen imports 90 percent of its food; because of the blockade, food and fuel prices are rising and scarcity is at crisis levels. While Yemeni children are starving, U.S. weapons makers, including General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin, are profiting from weapon sales to Saudi Arabia. …

“Participants note their responsibility to ensure that the U.S.:

1. Stops all drone attacks and military ‘special operations’ within Yemen

2. Ends all U.S. weapon sales and military aid to Saudi Arabia

3. Provides compensation to those who suffered losses caused by U.S. attacks.”

See here for more information.
Background: Dennis Bernstein interview with Gareth Porter: “Aiding Saudi Arabia’s Slaughter in Yemen.”

Ben Norton: “Famine looms in Yemen, as U.S.-backed Saudi bombing intentionally targets food production.”