Bishop Martinelli laments ‘deep pain’ of Yemenis affected by war

By Christopher Wells

The highest-ranking prelate in Southern Arabia, Capuchin Bishop Paolo Martinelli, has expressed concerns about escalation in the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

More than 100 people have died as a result of renewed airstrikes by US forces in retaliation for attacks by Houthis on Red Sea shipping and ballistic missile attacks on Israeli targets in response to the war between Israel and Hamas. US President Donald Trump has threatened the Houthi rebels with complete annihilation.

The conflict between Hamas and Israel has complicated diplomatic efforts to end the civil war in Yemen that began in 2014 when Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sana’a. The civil war triggered what at the time was described as “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.” As many as 400,000 people are believed to have died in the war, with millions more displaced and suffering from extreme hunger, poverty, and disease.

The weakest groups pay the highest price

“Because of great insecurity, it is hard to carry out humanitarian aid projects that can actually change the situation and finally allow a new beginning,” Bishop Martinelli said. “It is a cause of great suffering to think that in such a beautiful country, people find themselves in such poverty.”

The Vicar Apostolic noted that it is especially the weakest groups, including children, who pay the highest price. A majority of the three million internally displaced Yemeni children find themselves in situations of extreme poverty and hunger, and facing spreading epidemics, including a cholera epidemic.

'A cause of great pain'

While a truce between government and rebel forces appears to be holding, and a cease fire between Israel and Hamas “had favoured a certain calm and cautious optimism,” Bishop Martinelli said US President Trump’s decision to declare Houthis “terrorists” has raised questions about the implications for North Yemen. He warned that “an open and large-scale conflict” would be “a cause of deep pain for the possible consequences for civilians.”

The Yemeni people, he said, “have been burdened by ten years of civil war. We can only vaguely imagine the suffering of the population in the event of a full-scale war.”