Yemen

The Refugee Crisis in Yemen

Location of Yemen

Yemen is a desert nation in Southwest Asia.

Yemen is located on the Arabian Peninsula

across the straits from Eritrea and Djibouti.

The majority of people in Yemen live in the

western quarter near the Red Sea.

Origin of Conflict that Led to Refugee Crisis

Shrapnel Ties US-Made Bombs to Yemen Deaths

Trump voices constant support of Saudi Arabia while opposing Iran.
May, 2017: Saudi leaders gave Trump a huge welcome.

Trump Administration supports Saudi leaders in the Conflict in Yemen.
By taking sides, US my ignite a war with Iran.
Trump Administration is selling billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia.
Soon after Trump took office in early 2017, his administration reversed a decision by former president Barack Obama to suspend the sale of laser-guided bombs and other munitions to the Saudi military over concerns about civilian deaths in Yemen.
In late 2017, after the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at several Saudi cities, the Pentagon secretly sent US special force to the Saudi-Yemen border to help the Saudi military locate and destroy Houthi missile sites.

Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Yemen, March, 2015 - October 2016

Civil War and Humanitarian Crisis

Over 2.3 million Yemenis have been internally displaced
Over 200,000 have fled Yemen as refugees due to the civil war.
15 million Yemenis are on the verge of starvation.
400,000 children are severely malnourished.
Due to the conflict and poor sanitation, 1.1 million Yemenis suffer from cholera.
Despite the civil war in Yemen, conditions in Somalia are so dire that 280,000 Somalis have fled to Yemen.

Countries to Where Yemeni Refugees Flee

United Nations Regional Response Plan for Refugees from Yemen.

Welcome and protect refugees
Provide opportunities for work and education
Provide food, water, shelter, and transportation

Djibouti has an open-door policy which allows Yemenis to move into the cities from the refugee camps, but most are unable to afford to do this.

“I am caught in a dilemma. I fear that returning to Yemen means facing the risk of becoming another victim of a senseless war. How could my children forgive me if I brought them out of safety and into the jaws of death?” -

Abdallah Zeid, Yemeni Refugee in Djibouti

Ethiopia allows Yemeni refugees to move into cities once they have official UN Refugee status, however it is also a poor country.

Sudan also has an open-door policy allowing Yemeni refugees to settle in cities, but will not necessarily provide them with benefits citizens receive.

Oman is concerned that the civil war in Yemen will spill over their border, but many Omanis are helping the Yemenis.

Women Suffer from Abuse in Camps

"Because of the frustrating mood in the camp and bad circumstances and weather and my jobless husband and lack of income overall it is a dispute...We fee weak and vulnerable and attackable." - Hafsa, Yemeni woman in Markazi Camp.
Women are afraid to report abuse.
UNHCR and other NGOs have not reported any incidences of abuse.

Children in Camps in Djibouti

As of October, 2017, 48% of the 27,800 Yemeni refugees were children.
They have a right to education, but over 9,000 have no access.
Severe malnutrition is high, but slowly declining.
Families are afraid to leave camps for the cities due to exposure to violence and abuse.

Organizations Helping Yemenis

2019 Operational Plan of the UN Refugee Agency to
Aid Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons

Immigrants vs Refugees

Applying for Asylum

Yemen and the Trump Travel Ban

The original Travel Ban restricted movement from 7 predominantly-Muslim countries. This was struck down by the Court. The Revised Travel Ban includes North Korea and Venezuela which are not Muslim-majority countries.

Yemen remains in the Travel Ban.

The Graphs Below are for Refugees from Every Country from which Refugees Flee.

For Fiscal Year 2017

As of April, 2018, the US had accepted 0 Refugees from Yemen.

This was unchanged since 2016.

US Political Party and Attitudes

The Media frequently conflate Immigrants and Refugees into one group labeled Immigrants. Therefore, polls asking questions about Immigrants should be understood to include attitudes towards Refugees.