The Disastrous Saudi Coalition Attack on Hodeidah Continues

In the last six weeks, the Saudi coalition attack on Hodeidah has forced more than 100,000 Yemenis to flee their homes

More than 121,000 people have fled from Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah amidst a barrage of airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported Wednesday

Since June 1, the fight has displaced 17,350 households, according to the report

The attack on Hodeidah has slowed as coalition forces have run into more resistance than they anticipated, but there are still huge numbers of civilians being displaced by the fighting. The people displaced by the attack on Hodeidah are in greater danger because of insufficient food and water, but the conditions for those that remain are also deteriorating. Oxfam issued a warning about the situation there last week

“The fate of 600,000 people hangs in the balance,” said Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Country Director in Yemen. “Slowly but surely the city is being squeezed and the real fear is that this is merely a precursor to an onslaught that will lead to widespread loss of life

“Hudaydah cannot be allowed to become a graveyard. There is still time to stop this destruction. One of our biggest fears is an outbreak of cholera. Hudaydah was a cholera hot spot last year and a repeat would be devastating for the people there

Pressing ahead with an attack on Hodeidah would have disastrous consequences for the civilian population of the city and the surrounding area, and it would threaten the lives of millions more people that rely on the port. The U.S. is supporting the attack after saying for years that it would not allow it, and in doing so it has once again proven to the coalition governments that there is nothing they can do that will jeopardize U.S. military assistance for this war. It is imperative that Congress press the administration to change its position on this offensive, and Congress must cut off all U.S. assistance to the Saudi coalition