“We need safety, we need this conflict to end”

In Yemen, 3.9 million people have been displaced in the past four years and have had to leave everything overnight. Mohammed* is one of them. Yemeni and aid worker for Action Against Hunger, he tells us his story and through it, the story of an entire country.

“Originally, I am from Arat district, the first district exposed to the conflict in Yemen. The conflict started without any warning. It was very shocking, and it surprised everybody. The conflict escalated until it involved most of the governorates and all the districts in the Republic of Yemen.

The first displacement was for the people from Arat, my family was one of them. We left with our clothes only; we did not take any of our belongings, furniture, or jewelry. I left with my family to escape, to save our lives from the airstrikes.

Families in need

I settled in Hodeida with my family. It was hard for me to provide for their expenses, as we are three families: my nuclear family (my wife and daughters), my sisters and their families. I have to provide for their needs. The main consequence of the conflict was a cut in the salaries of state workers. As my sisters were state employees, I am now the only one able to take care of their expenses and their needs. I am trying to provide everything for the three families I am responsible for. My mother combines many chronic diseases and needs medicine on a weekly basis. I also have to cover these expenses.

After a year or two, we were surprised to see that the conflict was extending to southern districts until it reached Hodeida. People said that we had to leave from Hodeida to safer areas. 

I moved my mother, my sisters and their families to Hajjah, and I took my wife and daughters to Sana’a. Due to the huge displacement wave to Sana’a, there is a real estate crisis and I am still currently looking for an apartment for my family. Everything suddenly became very expensive: apartments, rent, food… We notice every day that the value of the Yemeni Riyal gets lower and lower compared to the US dollar. There are no salaries and at the same time, there is a catastrophic increase in food prices. How can we compensate? I know families who live in shelters and only eat once a day. I am not exaggerating.

My son-in-law was a rich man in Arat, he had a very good income. Suddenly he had to take his family to Hodeida and had to sell everything he had. His kids cannot go to school because they had to move several times, never finding a stable place to stay. His family could not stay in Hajjah because of the prices of accommodation and food, so they moved to Abs where they got some help from humanitarian workers and NGOs. He settled there because he needs this help and has nothing to support his family.

We need safety, we need this conflict to end, it turns the country upside down and disturbs everything. If there is security, there is food, psychological stability, hospitals working, salaries running, and health facilities providing care services.”

* name has been changed