The war in Yemen has reached a critical point where the most recent ceasefire that was meant to last 10 days, only lasted a couple of minutes to two hours. Yemen’s war which started when Houti Rebels seized the capital Sanaa in September 2014 has seen the death toll increase everyday with bombings conducted by the Saudi Regime in their so called attempt to restore control of the country to the exiled Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Concerned by the lack of global outrage on the issue, a group of South Africans will hold a picket outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Pretoria to highlight the plight that the Yemeni people face because of the war. The picket takes place on Friday, 24th July at 2pm.

“Saudi Arabia is an instigator in the wars in the Middle East,” said Khalifa Makgotlho a member of the South African Council for freedom in Bahrain.

“The intention now of the picket is to highlight current issues that are happening now in the Middle East and particularly in Yemen. “

Oppression in the Middle East

The South African Council for freedom in Bahrain was formed in 2010. The main aim of this organisation was to bring attention to the situation in Bahrain, however as conflicts in the Middle East spread, the organisation expanded their scope to include more countries such as Yemen.

“We have taken over the issue of Yemen to highlight, in South Africa, the daily struggles of the Yemeni people and the bombardment and oppression that they face,” Makgotlho explained.

Humanitarian ceasefires have come and gone and the people within the region are in need of much needed aid. So far thousands of people have been killed and half of them were civilians. Furthermore, 80% of Yemen’s population is now in need of humanitarian aid with the water supply also becoming a scare commodity.

“The Yemeni people on a daily basis go through constant bombardment by the Saudi led coalition, but if you go into local mosques there is total silence on the issue of Yemen,” Makgotlho went further.

It was at this same time last year that 100 000 people gathered to protest the Gaza bombings, however there has not been the same outcry for the people in Yemen.

The Saudi government has defended its involvement in the violence by allegedly trying to prevent an illegitimate government from taking over the region.

“Not only is the Saudi regime bombing Yemen but it backs a rebel group in Syria which is costing the lives of innocent civilians caught up in the war,” Makgotlho continued.

As per regulations, 200 people are expected to join this picket outside the Saudi Arabian embassy on Friday. Makgotlho also noted that the organisation has received a lot of support especially from township communities in Gauteng. VOC (Umarah Hartley)