In a shameless propaganda stunt, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia published a poster, which reads “Your children … our children”, on its official Twitter account on November 5. The controversial poster, which included a photo of Yemeni children, was accompanied with a “We Stand with Yemen” hashtag.
#WeStandWithYemen pic.twitter.com/CUj7suQxwE
— Foreign Ministry ?? (@KSAmofaEN) November 5, 2018
Many human rights activists and new outlets slammed Saudi Arabia for its attempt to abuse the suffering of the Yemeni people. One of the main their arguments was that Saudi Arabia is considered to be the number one state responsible for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.
Since the beginning of Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen in 2015, more than 56,000 Yemenis have been killed, according to a recent report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). While a large part of these victims were killed by Saudi airstrikes, thousands others were killed as a result of the strict blockade imposed by the Saudi-UAE-led coalition.
The blockade led to the one of the worst famines in the history of Yemen. Most of the victims were reportedly children. A cholera outbreak, which began in 2016, also claimed the lives of more than 2,300 civilians.
A report by the U.N., released last August, also accused the Saudi-led coalition, which is baked by the U.S., of torturing, raping and killing civilians in Yemen. International investigators said in the report that these actions may be considered as war crimes.
Last month, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for a cessation of hostilities in Yemen. Later, U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said that negotiations to end the war should begin within 30 days.
The Saudi-led coalition didn’t only ignore the call for the ceasefire, but even launched a large-scale offensive on the coastal city of al-Hudaydah, which is considering one of the main humanitarian ports in Yemen. The city is also hosting tens of thousands of civilians and refugees from other areas.
