Summary: with the publication of their annual report Airwars once again puts the focus on aerial warfare and artillery attacks on civilians whose death and injuries would otherwise go unacknowledged and unaccountable.
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Given that the Yemen is the worst affected country in the world at present in respect of famine caused by foreign intervention, would it not be appropriate for Airwars to monitor the situation there too? I assume that aerial attacks cause a proportion of the casualties in Yemen? Is there something that stops them doing so?
Note: I have been following the Digest from its earlier days. Although I no longer have any professional interest in the region, it is fascinating to keep in touch with it, through what must be the most authoritative, unbiased open-source organ on the region. Congratulations and thank you.
With reference to Mike Sixsmith’s comment, yes the air strikes have played a role in the famine in Yemen, particularly in earlier years when they were indiscriminate. But the main coalition contribution to the famine is through the naval blockade on Hodeida which is preventing food and fuel from coming in, both essential for survival. Only today, the WFP announced that since 3 January NOT a single fuel ship has been allowed to dock in Hodeida, the main port through which supplies arrive to head for the millions under Huthi control, who include those in greatest need and in the more remote and inaccessible settlements.
He may also like to know that the Yemen Data Project (https://yemendataproject.org/) follows up airstrikes in Yemen, and has done for a number of years, producing monthly reports, all of which can be reached on the YDP website; it may be differently presented and laid out from that of Airwars but does provide the information of relevance.
As a small NGO, Airwars has only limited capacity – with our own research presently focused on Iraq, Syria and Libya (all major conflicts) as well as US counterterrorism actions in Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan. We share your concerns about the broader conflict in Yemen, including the Saudi-led air war, which has had a devastating impact on local populations. The Yemen Data Project https://yemendataproject.org/ does comprehensively monitor that conflict – to date tracking more than 22,000 airstrikes and as many as 8.700 civilian deaths – and we warmly recommend their work.