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View from Yemen: Violence, Siege, Prospects for Peace
'Its really a very grave situation here in Yemen,' warns journalist Sharif Kouddous.
Children play near damaged buildings in the Al-Ora's neighborhood of Zinjibar. (Photo: UNHCR/A.Al-Sharif)
After more than two months of war and an increasingly dire humanitarian crisis that has become lost in the global news cycle, independent journalist Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports Tuesday from the ground in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa to offer an up-close look at the devastation.
Speaking with Democracy Now! on Tuesday, Kouddous warned that Yemenis face rising food costs, declining economic life, failing infrastructure, and mounting civilian casualties amid daily bombings and "vicious street battles." He warns, "Its really a very grave situation here in Yemen."
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In his recent report for Foreign Policy, Kouddous noted a marked shift in the war: "Since the beginning of June, analysts and residents in the capital say, the bombing campaign has entered a new phase: Planes have begun targeting the homes of Saudi Arabia’s enemies, rather than just military targets. Civilians have found themselves increasingly caught in the crossfire."
The Democracy Now! interview with Kouddous, as well as Wall Street Journal correspondent Joe Lauria, is available below: