On Monday, January 25th, tens of thousands of people in Yemen and around the world took to the streets on a global day of action to demand an end to the war on Yemen.
We know that the new Biden-Harris administration will be more focused on this issue in the coming weeks, so we must act quickly to ensure that our voices are heard. It wont take you long – we promise – and together our collective efforts will make an impact! Please join us to help end this war – read to the bottom of this post to see what you can do to apply people power to end this humanitarian disaster.
The human suffering is overwhelming. It is estimated that 85,000 children have died of hunger and 100,000 civilians from bombings since 2015. Although, it is expected that the actual toll is significantly higher as many die without ever reaching medical attention.
The UN considers the war on Yemen to be the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Today, 24 million Yemenis — 80% of its population — are dependent on humanitarian aid to survive. The Saudi-led, US-backed coalition has imposed restrictions on virtually all imports, delaying the delivery of goods including critical supplies and medicine, compounding the misery. Currently, Yemen is on the brink of famine, suffers from the first outbreak of cholera since 2016 (a curable disease), and is being devastated by the global COVID pandemic.
The USA has played a key role in this development by providing weapons and logistical support for the Saudi-led coalition — including cluster bombs which are deemed illegal by a treaty of 110 states. Human Rights Watch and other groups have declared that the USA’s role in this crisis amounts to war crimes.
We in Rhode Island sit at the doorstep of Raytheon, one of the world’s biggest weapons manufacturers, who have profited ($1.8 billion) from selling armaments which are destroying Yemen.
- Watch Cornel West at the Stop the War Coalition Global day of action
- Watch this report by Nima Elbagir from within Yemen
- And a further Interview with Nima Elbagir
Call for action!
There are immediate, impactful actions that you can take today to help put an end to the crisis paid for by our tax dollars.
Please consider helping with at least one of the following, and please do us the enormous favor of filling out the ‘Yemen Pledge for Action‘ form (below) so that we can thank you and celebrate the strength of our collective efforts – people powered by your actions today.
Tweet your representatives with #YemenCantWait
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse — @SenWhitehouse
- Sen. Jack Reed — @SenJackReed
- You can also tag us @BrownWarWatch
Email your (RI) representatives’ office (example below)
- Office of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse — Christopher_Mewett@Whitehouse.Senate.gov
- Office of Sen. Jack Reed — Bill_Monahan@armed-services.Senate.gov
- Office of Rep. Cicilline — megan.garcia@mail.house.gov
- Office of Rep Langevin — caroline.goodson@mail.House.gov
Share, in any way, a video/article about the current crisis
Call our representatives (example below)
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)– (401) 453-5294
- Sen. Jack Reed (RI) — (401) 528-5200
- Or find your Representative here: http://bit.ly/39ldod5
- Or find your Senator here: http://bit.ly/2YuTPsF
This is actually very simple and quick! Feel free to use the script below. They will not be chatty; they will hear you and say ‘thank you’. You may not even reach the Senator/Rep but someone from their office. This is OK. It might seem like not much happened, but actually this is one of the primary ways to apply people power.
“My name is ____, and I am one of your constituents. I am calling to express my discontent with the situation in Yemen. I am calling on Senator/Representative ______ to support legislative action that will direct the Biden administration to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led hostilities in Yemen completely, ban arm sales to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., and resume humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people to at least its 2019 levels”
“Yemen is the World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis, and ” (pick one). “Thank you for your attention and please help us end this war”
- Congress has not authorized this war. What are we doing supporting the Saudi-led coalition? Congress must take its power back, and stop giving our Administration a blank check to wage war in our name.
- Over 85,000 children have died of hunger and more than 100,000 people from direct attracts since the bombings began in 2015. We must not permit those deaths to be in our names.
- The overall economic collapse, exacerbated by limited function of airports and seaports, has pushed the prices of basic goods out of reach for most, worsening hunger and inequality. We cannot permit this injustice.
- There have been more than 1.1 million cases of cholera. this is a curable disease! Additionally, they have been devastated by the coronavirus global pandemic. We cannot participate in this catastrophe by preventing basic needs from reaching those communities.
- 22.2 million people in Yemen need some kind of humanitarian or protection assistance. The USA has stopped much of the support given to the Yemeni people in 2020, while increasing the number of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other countries. We cannot participate in this catastrophe by preventing basic needs from reaching those communities.
Much of the information in this post is echoed from the Stop the War Coalition and the Yemeni Alliance Committee movements. We call on all Rhode Island residents to take action. For more detailed information see this document.
Brown War Watch 