That’s not my point. This isn’t about good guys or bad guys. This is about an entire population subjected to a genocide. There are plenty of reasons to not like the Houthis, but that doesn’t change the reality that they only exist as a resistance to the ongoing genocide. The point isn’t that the Houthis are good, it’s that the genocide, facilitated by the US and our Ally Saudi Arabia, is significantly worse by multiple magnitudes.
The root cause of the problem is still the genocide, that’s a much bigger concern, especially to the people of Yemen, than to stop or reform the Houthis themselves. They can only be addressed in a realistic way, by the people of Yemen, once the genocide ends.
As of February 2018, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the coalition had killed 6,000 people in airstrikes and wounded nearly 10,000 more.
Yet, according to the OHCHR report, these counts are conservative. Tens of thousands of Yemenis have also died from causes related to the war. According to Save the Children, an estimated 85,000 children under five may have died since 2015, with more than 50,000 child deaths in 2017 alone from hunger and related causes.
If you’re concern is the well-being of the children in Yemen, which is a completely valid concern, then you can clearly see that the genocide is a far greater threat to them.
Maybe I’m wrong, and definitely correct me if so, but I thought the houthis formed well before the Saudi lead effective genocide occurring in Yemen. In fact, the current conflict is the result of the houthis basically couping the preceding government? If that’s the case, it doesn’t make much sense to characterize them as a resistance or reactionary force to anything externally?
That’s a great question, I’m no expert on the situation so let me see what I can find.
The Houthis emerged as a Zaydi resistance to Saleh and his corruption in the 1990s led by a charismatic leader named Hussein al Houthi, from whom they are named. They charged Saleh with massive corruption to steal the wealth of the Arab world’s poorest country for his own family, much like other Arab dictators in Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria. They also criticized Saudi and American backing for the dictator.
After 2003, Saleh launched a series of military campaigns to destroy the Houthis. In 2004, Saleh’s forces killed Hussein al Houthi. The Yemeni army and air force was used to suppress the rebellion in the far north of Yemen, especially in Saada province. The Saudis joined with Saleh in these campaigns. The Houthis won against both Saleh and the Saudi army, besting them both again and again. For the Saudis, who have spent tens of billions of dollars on their military, it was deeply humiliating.
Since Yemen’s revolution ended in 2012, the Houthis have demanded a greater role in the government and in the drafting of a new constitution. They accuse the government of corruption and oppose polices they say are at odds with their minority group’s interests, including a proposed division of the country into six federal states. They say such a move would weaken their Zaidi sect’s political representation.
It seems like they began as a resistance to US and Saudi interests and corruption in Yemani Government. It could be fair to frame the genocide as a ‘punishment’ for their resistance against US/Saudi interests in the region
I don’t understand, are you upset that they choose to fight back instead of sit back and die regardless? Again, the genocide has killed over 8 times as many children. How is your focus not on the genocide.
The child soldiers are not choosing to fight back. That’s just not what is going on and it’s disgusting that you are suggesting forced conscripts are doing something by choice.
Not even human rights groups are on your side on this.
No, I’m saying it’s the material conditions that are responsible, which are caused by the ongoing genocide. How would I know any of their motivations, I have no idea what it’s like it grow up under a genocide.
You’re still not recognizing that the root cause of all of this is still the genocide. Ending that is the only way to end the child recruitment, not bombing them more.
Human Rights Watch has also documented the Houthis’ use of much-needed humanitarian assistance to recruit men and children to their forces. At least 21.6 million people in Yemen, about two-thirds of the population, need some form of humanitarian assistance, and 80 percent of the country struggles to put food on the table and access basic services, according to the UN Population Fund.
“While the main reason for families to send their children is their position supporting the Palestinian cause, Houthis offer salaries and food baskets for families of those who are willing to join them, which works well given the deteriorated humanitarian and economic situation,” said a female human rights activist in Sanaa.
The ongoing US and UK-led airstrikes on Yemen have reportedly increased domestic support for the Houthis, strengthening the Houthis’ ability to recruit children. Maysaa Shujaa Aldeen, a researcher at the Sana’a Center For Strategic Studies, told the Washington Post that the “Houthis are connecting their attacks in the Red Sea to support [for] Gaza, which is a moral pretext for most people in the MENA region. These attacks have increased their ability to recruit, especially in the northern tribal areas.”
That’s not my point. This isn’t about good guys or bad guys. This is about an entire population subjected to a genocide. There are plenty of reasons to not like the Houthis, but that doesn’t change the reality that they only exist as a resistance to the ongoing genocide. The point isn’t that the Houthis are good, it’s that the genocide, facilitated by the US and our Ally Saudi Arabia, is significantly worse by multiple magnitudes.
The root cause of the problem is still the genocide, that’s a much bigger concern, especially to the people of Yemen, than to stop or reform the Houthis themselves. They can only be addressed in a realistic way, by the people of Yemen, once the genocide ends.
If you’re concern is the well-being of the children in Yemen, which is a completely valid concern, then you can clearly see that the genocide is a far greater threat to them.
Maybe I’m wrong, and definitely correct me if so, but I thought the houthis formed well before the Saudi lead effective genocide occurring in Yemen. In fact, the current conflict is the result of the houthis basically couping the preceding government? If that’s the case, it doesn’t make much sense to characterize them as a resistance or reactionary force to anything externally?
That’s a great question, I’m no expert on the situation so let me see what I can find.
It seems like they began as a resistance to US and Saudi interests and corruption in Yemani Government. It could be fair to frame the genocide as a ‘punishment’ for their resistance against US/Saudi interests in the region
How is genocide any greater a threat than putting them on the front lines? They’ll be killed either way.
Are you seriously asking how Genocide is a greater threat? Over 5 times as many children have died to starvation alone
If the child is going to die either way, it isn’t a greater threat. It’s an equal threat.
That’s not how Genocide works. It targets children regardless
So do people shooting at child soldiers. The child will die either way.
I don’t understand, are you upset that they choose to fight back instead of sit back and die regardless? Again, the genocide has killed over 8 times as many children. How is your focus not on the genocide.
The child soldiers are not choosing to fight back. That’s just not what is going on and it’s disgusting that you are suggesting forced conscripts are doing something by choice.
Not even human rights groups are on your side on this.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/13/yemen-houthis-recruit-more-child-soldiers-october-7
No, I’m saying it’s the material conditions that are responsible, which are caused by the ongoing genocide. How would I know any of their motivations, I have no idea what it’s like it grow up under a genocide.
You’re still not recognizing that the root cause of all of this is still the genocide. Ending that is the only way to end the child recruitment, not bombing them more.