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Riyadh agreement neglects Yemen’s 'manmade' humanitarian crisis

Since the Saudi-led coalition intervened against Houthis in Yemen in 2015, both warring sides have deliberately targeted medical facilities, while few if any projects are being carried out to revive the health care system in a country where millions are suffering.

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People stand at the entrance of a hospital damaged by an airstrike in the Kutaf district of the northwestern province of Saada, Yemen, March 28, 2019. — REUTERS/Naif Rahma

Deliberate targeting of Yemen’s health care facilities has worsened its civilians’ dire humanitarian suffering. Yet even with ongoing peace efforts brokered by Saudi Arabia, it is unlikely that this alone will repair the catastrophic damage and scars that Yemen’s war has left behind.

Such intentional destruction of Yemen’s state and infrastructure has created what the United Nations has called the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” which is mostly manmade. The conflict since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia led a coalition against the Houthi rebels and to restore Yemen’s government, has taken over 100,000 lives. Many more have likely died due to Yemen’s failing health care system, particularly as ailments such as cholera and malnourishment put millions of lives at risk.

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