Legislation Pushes To End US Involvement In Saudi War In Yemen

A Yemeni militiaman allied to the country’s internationally recognized government stands guard on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018.
A Yemeni militiaman allied to the country's internationally recognized government stands guard on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. AP Photo/Jon Gambrell
A Yemeni militiaman allied to the country’s internationally recognized government stands guard on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018.
A Yemeni militiaman allied to the country's internationally recognized government stands guard on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. AP Photo/Jon Gambrell

Legislation Pushes To End US Involvement In Saudi War In Yemen

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More than 8 million people in Yemen are on the brink of famine, according to the World Food Program. The country is facing the largest cholera outbreak in world history, and eighty percent of Yemenis lack access to health care, food, clean water, and fuel, the United Nations reported.

Legislation is expected to be introduced soon in the U.S. Senate to re-assert constitutional congressional war powers over U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen. Robert Naiman, the policy director for the organization Just Foreign Policy, has been closely involved in developing the legislation. He said Saudi Arabia’s strategy is to cripple Yemen and starve the population.

Naiman said the U.S. is not only supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia, but also fueling war planes during bombing runs that have destroyed hospitals, schools, and water treatment plants. He said this makes the U.S. complicit in Yemen’s devastating cholera outbreak. The Pentagon claims it doesn’t keep track of which planes it refuels, and denies being complicit in Yemen’s turmoil.

Naiman will discuss how ignorance is killing Yemenis, and how his legislation could help the country.