To: The United States House of Representatives, The United States Senate, and President Donald Trump
Don't Help Saudi Arabia Cause Famine in Yemen
Just Foreign Policy
Force Saudi Arabia to allow aid to reach Yemen by threatening to withdraw support from Saudi Arabia's war.
Why is this important?
President Trump's ramped-up support of Saudi Arabia's war may cause a famine in Yemen, the Huffington Post reports. Aid workers fear Saudi Arabia is planning to attack and close the critical port of Hodeidah on Yemen’s west coast, where most of the country's food has come in. The Obama Administration had opposed such an attack, but the Trump Administration may be encouraging it. Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen has been dependent on the U.S. for military support and diplomatic cover. “If there were a serious disruption to that port, that would, I think, be sufficient to tip the country into famine,” said a former U.S. aid official. [1]
Jamie McGoldrick, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, notes that Saudi Arabia's diversion of aid ships from Hodeidah is already raising the risk of mass starvation. Using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war is a grave violation of international law. [2]
Urge President Trump and Congress to stop Saudi Arabia from causing a famine in Yemen by signing and sharing our petition.
References:
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-hodeidah-yemen-famine_us_58a88970e4b037d17d28610b
2. http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen-jamie-mcgoldrick-impact-conflict-and-ongoing