Hundreds of thousands in Yemen protest against Saudi-led intervention

Notable 'absence of Houthi slogans' reported as Yemenis protest the second anniversary of Saudi-led coalition's military campaign.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

26 March, 2017

The Saudi-led coalition's military campaign began in March 2015 [Twitter]

Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of the country's capital Sanaa on Sunday to protest against the Saudi-led coalition's ongoing military intervention.

The mass demonstration marks the second anniversary of the start of the Saudi coalition's campaign, which began in March 2015.

Riyadh intervened in support of the government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who had been ousted from Yemen's capital by Houthi rebels.

The military campaign, which has included numerous airstrikes, has drawn widespread criticism, as well as accusations of war crimes.

Twitter Post

The Saudi-led coalition's war against Houthi rebels in Yemen has cost more than 10,000 lives since March 2015 and brought the country to the brink of famine.

According to the UN, the fighting has displaced more than three million people, and more than two thirds of Yemen's population of around 18.8 million people need aid.

Some 7.3 million people are estimated to be close to starvation and 462,000 children suffer from serious malnutrition. Without $2.1 billion in international aid, the UN warns that Yemen will suffer a famine in 2017.