To The World: I am an Old Yemeni, Starving Because of War

YemenExtra

Shefa’a Abdullah

“The situation in al-Hudaydah was bad before and now it has become even worse; if they were poor before, now they are poorer,” a Yemeni citizen says.

“When I visit homes here, I have not found even the simplest daily life supports: there is no daily food, most of people eat only fish and sell what is left, but now after fishing boats are targeted by Saudi-led coalition, they have nothing left to make income from.”

Saeeda, a 60-year-old woman living in al-Hajb village in the al-Almansoriah district of al-Hudaydah, is disabled. In the past, she was financially supported by her only son, who worked in a Mango farm.

“When the war started, he lost his job; my grandson looks for what is left from [our] neighbor’s food. Saudi jets scare me all the time and when I hear their sound in the air, I cannot even run away from my thatched hut [because] I’m disabled,” she says.

“Before the war, we were eating breakfast and lunch, we had $3 a day, the situation was safe, but now we don’t have anything, my son is jobless, our life was difficult but now it’s more difficult than it was, sometimes I wish I was not born in this life.”

She adds: “Farms have been bombed, fishing boats too and diseases have become widespread; fever kills a lot of children.”

“Everything has changed. Our life has become a hell. Saudi-led coalition still bombards us and kills our neighbors everyday.”

Saeeda said: “My message to the world is, ‘Please stop the war’, but I think my message is useless, they won’t be able to bring back who I have lost.”