NPR: Report UN Famine Warning for Yemen & US Role in the War

The United Nations has warned that Yemen is on the brink of famine. The primary cause of the impending famine is Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. This war is supported by the United States - not only with U.S. weapons, but with direct U.S. military participation, including refueling of Saudi warplanes that are bombing Yemen. In particular, the U.S. is perceived to support the Saudi blockade of the Yemeni port of Hodeida, which has been the primary entry point for food, medicine, and humanitarian aid to northern Yemen. [1] Stephen O'Brien, the UN's humanitarian aid coordinator [2] and 53 Members of the House of Representatives [3] have called for the port of Hodeida to be re-opened to humanitarian aid.

Urge NPR to fully report the UN's famine warning for Yemen by signing our petition at MoveOn.

Major U.S. media are for the most part not reporting on the UN's famine warning for Yemen, and when they do report it, they are not reporting on the U.S. role in the war that is bringing about the famine. [4] On March 15, Democracy Now reported, "Aid Worker Decries U.S.-Backed "Relentless War" in Yemen Causing Widespread Threat of Starvation." [5] On March 16, the Guardian reported, "Yemen at 'point of no return' as conflict leaves almost 7 million close to famine." [6] But a search of NPR's website finds nothing remotely similar to the Democracy Now report nor the Guardian report in the last three months, nothing giving the perspective of aid groups on the famine warning for Yemen, nothing that talks about the U.S. military role in pushing Yemen to the brink of famine. [7]

Urge NPR Ombudsman Elizabeth Jensen to press NPR to fully report on the UN's famine warning for Yemen by signing and sharing our petition at MoveOn.

Thanks for all you do to help make U.S. foreign policy more just,

Robert Naiman, Avram Reisman, and Sarah Burns

Just Foreign Policy

If you think our work is important, support us with a $17 donation.

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate

References:

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-hodeidah-yemen-famine_us_58a88970e4b037d17d28610b

2. http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/usgerc-stephen-o-brien-statement-security-council-missions-yemen-south-sudan-somalia

3. https://lieu.house.gov/sites/lieu.house.gov/files/Letter%20to%20Tillerson%20from%20MoCs%20re%20Yemen%20Crisis%20030917.pdf

4. http://fair.org/home/downplaying-us-contribution-to-potential-yemen-famine/

5. https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/15/aid_worker_decries_us_backed_relentless

6. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/mar/16/yemen-conflict-7-million-close-to-famine

7. http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=yemen+famine&dateId=0&programId=0