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Thousands of civilians took to the streets of Sanaa, Yemen on Friday to protest Saudi-led coalition airstrikes. With the assistance of the US and the UK, it began its intervention in Yemen in March 2015. Its aim is to suppress the Houthi uprising. Over 10,000 people have been killed since the start of the campaign, according to the UN.
The mass rally in Sanaa comes after the US launched a series of airstrikes in Yemen against Al-Qaeda, reportedly resulting in a number of civilian casualties.
RT: Many humanitarian organizations accuse the coalition forces of deliberately targeting civilians, while the UN says the intervention puts the whole nation at risk of famine. Do you expect any condemnation from the international community if the reports are true?
Catherine Shakdam: No, it has always been the same song and dance, I would say, for the past two years now, where it doesn't matter what happens in Yemen... how many civilians are being killed as a result of either Saudi-led coalition, or even the US [airstrikes]. When it comes to Yemen, the price of blood is quite cheap, and war crimes only seem to be important when they are committed by the resistance movement, because the resistance movement happens to be in opposition to Saudi Arabia. I don't expect any condemnation... This has been the kind of trend that has taken place for the past years. So why would they change?
Comment: The Yemen war was built upon a flimsy feud over presidential preference that turned into a violent conflict between the Yemeni government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi (supported by Saudi Arabia) and the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request. Unfortunately this conflict was not contained to the Yemeni people, it was ignited by the Saudi Kingdom and supported by the West.
This is what comes of a nation divided where two presidents are in conflict for power. Factions become enemies and outsiders, flush with profits and influence, become intimately involved. The USA, the latest bastion of political chaos and division, should take note.