What is happening in Yemen?

Pic from Pexels

By Anis Albasha

A few days ago, my wife and I were watching the news on the TV. There was a news story about Yemen saying that the forces of the so-called “Arab alliance” along with its allied local forces have 'regained' control of a directorate located in the west of Yemen called Altahita!   

Many news channel hosted strategic experts to talk about that ‘breaking news’ from Yemen. Some of those experts were talking about the significance of this event and considering it as a turning point in the course of the war against Yemen. Since my wife and I are both from Yemen, we could hardly believe what we heard. It was really provocative because the only progress this absurd war, that has been going on for more than three years, could achieve was a total destruction of Yemen as well as causing the deaths of thousands of civilians, including children. 

This devastated directorate which is called Altahita has been suffering for decades from poverty, ignorance and lack of basic services. I am sure that the inhabitants of Altahita would never have imagined that their very poor directorate would be one day a hot topic in the top news channels. They would never have imagined that Altahita would be the main topic of many discussions and analysis among different kinds of experts. So, the question here is, in light of the deliberate media blackout regarding the war in the entire Yemen, why has a conflict that takes place in a very small neglected area become the focus of the news media? And how can we link the answer to this question to what is going on in Yemen?

About two years ago, my wife and I gave presentations about Yemen. The audience was German and we were talking about our country from cultural/social perspective. We also talked about the political satiation in Yemen and , of course, about the fierce war there. When I spoke about the reasons behind the international ignorance of the horrific war in Yemen, I have identified three reasons. The first one is that Russia did not intervene in the war of Yemen as it did in Syria. The second reason is the very powerful media outlets owned by the party waging the war against Yemen. And the third reason is the huge arms deals carried out by Western countries such as the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany and other countries that sell and export weapons to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states.

This was more than two years ago. Now, the war in Yemen has entered its fourth year while the reasons behind the world’s ignorance of the devastating consequences of this war remain the same! On the other hand, this recent regional and international media's focus on the conflict of Altahita and portraying it as the most prominent event that could change the course of this absurd war is another proof of what I have said earlier. This focus is an example of the power of the money (Saudi/UAE) to steer the media and to buy affiliations. No body is talking about the massacres, about the famine that is taking place in the country or about the dozens of civilian deaths every day by the raids of this coalition. Now, it is all about the battle of "Altahita" and to hell with the suffering of the Yemeni people. 

Out of desperation, this ill-fated coalition is trying to distract the world's attention from the atrocities committed in Yemen by focusing on such news and battles. They have been doing this for a long time in a successful way. No wonder, both the Saudi Arabia and the UAE are paying huge sums of money to a number of public relations companies in the United States so that they can mislead the public opinion in the West and act innocently. In fact, without the services provided by those companies, they wouldn't be able to play this dirty game. Everybody knows, at least in the Arab region, that those who wage this war, Saudi Arabia and UAE, have no political, strategic or even logical objectives. This is the reality which, unfortunately, most people in America and in Europe do not realize. I think it is difficult for the western people to imagine that there is such foolishness among persons who are supposed to be leaders of their nations.

The problem is that those imprudent Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia and in the UAE are no more than dirty claws and paws used by other superior powers that have their own goals and agenda in the region. Actually, some of these goals have already been achieved, but at the expense of the blood and the suffering of the Yemeni people. So back to the issue of Altahita's battle, which seems to continue being the media’s focus for an unknown time, this fierce conflict to get control over this unfortunate directorate are moving up and down and seems to have no end. The Saudi-led coalition mobilizes and tries to make a progress while the opposing resisting Yemeni forces are mobilizing and fighting back. As a result of this absurd conflict, the humanitarian suffering of the people of Altahita, and of the rest of the population, is compounded.  

But the regional and international media have another point of view. They portray the fight in Altahita as a very important battle which could make a fatal turn in the course of the war against Yemen. The truth is that, over more than three years, those who launched this dirty war against Yemen have not been able to achieve any victory or to make any tangible progress in any of the fighting fronts. So, what is the difference the battle of Altahita could make? The only thing this battle is going to achieve is shedding the blood of innocent civilians and adding more suffering for the people of the area. Worse still, this destructive scenario could be repeated in other areas of the country. It is very likely to hear the media talking about a new battle in another small district of Yemen in the same way they are using now to talk about Altahita's one. 

This is not about taking control over an area in the south or in the north of Yemen. In fact, this war against Yemen has lost its compass and it is going beyond all limits. In the light of the media's silence and the complicity of the international community, this war turned into a terrible destructive tool.  There are no suitable words that can describe the very deteriorating humanitarian situations in Yemen.  The whole image there is so bleak in a way that makes it difficult for any human mind to imagine. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but if this futile war does not stop, the country is going to hell in a handbasket. Yet, nobody cares about what is going on in Yemen. Both the media and the international community are very concerned about what is going on in Syria. And of course, this attitude towards Syria is not out of any humanitarian sympathy. Otherwise, Yemeni people would get at least a small portion of that concern.

To conclude, what is going on in Yemen cannot be described as a ‘war’ because even wars have certain limits or at least they have specific targets to achieve. But when very modern warplanes bombard cars and public buses that carry civilians and children , And when these warplanes target schools, wedding and funeral halls, then we are talking about something worse than wars. So, until Putin decides to intervene in Yemen or until Gulf countries run out of money, the Yemeni tragedy will continue. Today they are talking about Altahita's battle, tomorrow they are going to talk about another battle in another miserable and perverted area. And this is, unfortunately, the only reality of what is happening in Yemen!

Life without walls...!

By Anis Albasha

One of the most interesting things I have seen in Europe is the scene of schools with no walls surround them. This might be a normal scene for Europeans. But for a person who came from a different background in which ‘walls’ are in everywhere, such wall-less views were so unusual.

Since ancient times, walls and fences have been an important part of human’s life. People built walls to protect themselves from impending danger. Walls played a pivotal role in wars. Impregnable walls were the main obstacle which determines the victory or the defeat of a nation. Today, some countries build fences on their borders to prevent the flow of migrants or smugglers. Some people might establish mental walls in order to keep a distance between them and other people. When it comes to Arabic culture and societies, concrete walls play a major role in people’s lives.

In my country as an example, the view of walls is very common. There are walls that surround school buildings, there are walls that surround houses, and there are also walls that surround buildings, companies and government facilities. Moreover, we have walls that surround vast areas of uninhabited and barren lands! The main purpose of all these physical fences and walls is to maintain privacy as well as to protect against thieves and nosy people. As for schools fences, the walls are there to hold students and keep them within the premises until the end of the school day. Besides, schools fences prevent ‘foreign’ people from entering the school. And because of these high fences and the rigid system of our schools, students' attempts to flee the school building know no end.

Unfortunately, these attempts sometimes have tragic endings. I remember one time I was in the secondary school and one day we were setting in our classroom when we saw from the window a student who was trying to escape by climbing one of school’s high walls "at least four meters height." The boy managed to climb the fence successfully. But when he tried to get to the other side of the wall, he grabbed the power cables which were close to him and unfortunately he was shocked by the electric current and died instantly. I am sure that if people from Europe saw that horrifying scene, they would not have imagined for a moment that this "escapee" was just a student wanted to flee the school. Those people, who come from countries where there are no walls around schools, would think that this poor student is a dangerous criminal who is sentenced to death so he was trying to escape in order to save his life. 

I’ve never climbed a school wall. But that does not mean I loved staying inside the school. Like many of my peers at the time, we look at the school as a kind of prison which we were forced not to leave until the end of the school day.  Perhaps that feeling was due to schools’ high walls that surrounded us or because of the poor level of education we had. When it comes to the houses, the fences and walls in my country may exceed the height of five meters, especially those fences surrounding the houses of the rich people or high ranking officials. It is very common to see some luxurious houses and villas surrounded by very high walls which are extended along the sight. Usually, there is a direct correlation the height and length of the fences and the status and the wealth of the owners of these luxurious.

However, the fences that surround houses in many Arabic societies often fail to provide privacy to their owners. Sadly enough, in the societies in which we grew up, there is no respect for the privacy of the others. Therefore, many people tend to interfere in others' affairs, bug each other, and intrude into the privacy of the others. Those 'interferers' continue doing so even with the existence of all those walls and fences made by people in order to maintain some privacy. The bigger the height of the walls, the greater the desire to climb these walls in order to know what is going on behind them.

I do believe that the shape and the size of the walls in any society is a reflection of the nature of that society as well as its inhabitants. The lower the walls in the society, the greater the awareness and the urbanization of the people who live in that society. The high number of fences in a society is evidence of the low level of awareness and urbanization among members of that community. In contrast, the high number of walls and fences in a society is an indication of the low level of awareness and urbanization among the members of that society.  

So, as I mentioned at the beginning, the view of very low fences that surround the houses here or the view of the pupils' playing in the schoolyard without climbing the walls will continue to catch my eyes. It is said that “Walls don’t fall without efforts”. So, I hope that one day; walls in my country will get more shorter and the sense of self-control among people will get more bigger. 

What is happening in Ghouta?

Pic from Pixabay

By Anis Albasha

Mark Twain once said that “If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you're misinformed”. This saying is perfectly applicable when it comes to the pattern that is used by many western news media when covering the volatile events in the Middle East.

Few days ago, western news media, and also some regional media outlets, were so concerned with what was going on in Syria, particularly in Ghouta area. All of a sudden, news media started wailing and weeping about the ‘outrageous’ killing and destruction committed by the Syrian Army in Ghouta. Headlines in many western newspapers and magazines were very heartrending, such as ‘It is not a war. It is a massacre’ or ‘It’s raining rockets’!

Anyone follows the media coverage of Ghouta’s events would feel that they are talking about an apocalypse which is about to happen. For many days, Ghouta news has become the top news bulletins and headlines in the written and visual media. The question here is: is what really happened in Ghouta worth all this wailing? Of course, a terrible war is going on not only in Ghouta but in many parts of Syria.  But what is the reason behind the news media hysterical coverage of what was going on Ghouta, particularly in this timing? Do the media give us a true picture of what is going on there? Or there are certain agendas some players are trying to pass through this over-coverage of the Ghouta’s events? Posing these kinds of questions sounds very reasonable for the following reasons:

1- At a time when the media were wailing about the ‘horrible genocide’ against the people and the children in Ghouta, we have not heard or seen a quarter of this interest and sympathy about what is going on in Yemen. The country witnesses a vicious and a cruel war waged by dozens of neighboring countries with the support of superpower countries. This ongoing war against Yemen has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians including children. According to the UNICEF, ‘Nearly all children in Yemen are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. More than 5,000 children have been killed or injured in the violence – an average of five children every day since the conflict began’. So, for those who feel devastated about the children of Ghouta, why don’t they feel the same about the children of Yemen?

2- According to dozens of reports from international entities and organizations, Yemen’s war is one of the worst disasters in the world since the WW2. Reports state that Yemen is currently facing one of the worst hunger crises in the world. Stephen O’Brien, the UN under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, stated that the largest humanitarian crisis was in Yemen where two-thirds of the population — 18.8 million people — need aid and more than seven million people are hungry and did not know where their next meal would come from. However, the same media that cries over Syria and Ghouta did not shed a single tear on what is happening in Yemen!

Some may argue that the Syrian regime is accused of killing children by using banned chemical weapons. This is something unacceptable by the ‘modern’ world and it was the reason behind that ‘feverish’ media coverage of Ghouta’s events. In fact, it is so strange that, before any biased investigations take place, and in the absence of any physical evidence, western news media insists that the culprit is the Syrian regime. I can’t help but wondering, is the Syrian regime so stupid to decide to use banned chemical weapons at the time when the Syrian army was winning the fight against the main opposition group in Ghouta? Let alone the fabricated footage that was broadcast from inside Ghouta after the alleged attack. We saw children who were said to have been subjected to chemical weapons being sprayed with water by ‘paramedics’ who did not wear the minimum protective clothing which are crucial in such situations!

However, let’s believe the news media this time. Let’s pretend that, all of a sudden, the mainstream media is so sympathetic about the atrocities committed against innocent civilians in Ghouta. If that is the case, why don’t we e see similar reaction towards what is going on in Yemen? According to many accredited reports, Saudi-led coalition used banned cluster bombs in Yemen. Human Rights Watch has accused the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen of using indiscriminate cluster bombs supplied by the United States. Human Rights Watch said it has evidence of the bombs being used at least five times, including an attack in that injured civilians. According to the Guardian, the British defense secretary Michael Fallon has seen government analysis indicating that UK-made cluster munitions were used by the Saudi-led coalition in the current conflict in Yemen.

So, if it is about using internationally banned weapons, why don’t we see the same media coverage when it comes to Yemen? For many days, Western news media was so busy with the ‘horrific’ scenes of the children of Ghouta, whom the media accuses the Syrian regime of killing them by bombs as well as by banned weapons. Why don’t we see a similar coverage about the children of Yemen who were also killed by banned weapons? Does news media need accredited reports about the outrageous situation in Yemen? According to the Save the Children, “More than 50,000 children in Yemen are expected to die by the end of the year as a result of disease and starvation caused by the stalemated war in the country, Save the Children has warned.” So, are not these miserable children in Yemen worth a little attention by the western media?

Do mainstream media need more accredited reports about Yemen? Well, according to the UNICEF “Nearly 2 million Yemeni children were out of school, a quarter of them since the conflict escalated when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015. More than 3 million children were born into the war, it said, adding they had been “scarred by years of violence, displacement, disease, poverty, undernutrition and a lack of access to basic services”. Based on that, it is so obvious that the news media coverage on Ghouta is not out of compassion and humanity. Otherwise, we would have seen the same concern when it comes to Yemen. This brings us back to the basic question: what exactly is happening in Syria and what are the reasons behind the recent exaggerated media interest of the events of Ghouta?

Actually, what is going on in Syria, whether in Ghouta or in the other areas of the country is a conflict of interests between different forces in order to achieve certain agendas. The people’s suffering because of these conflicts is exploited by the news media to achieve certain goals which are far from human sympathy with those people. If the news media deals with the events in the Middle East as credibly as it claims and if it really cares about the suffering of the innocents, they must stop this partial coverage which cries over certain alleged claims in Syria while completely ignoring the real tragedies that take place in other areas of the region like Yemen.

It is said that not only are things not what they seem, they are not even what they are called. In the digital media age in which we live, I may add that things are not also what they are ‘broadcast’. The events of Ghouta are an example which proves that the greatest wisdom when dealing with the news media is to see through appearances.