News & Comment
Khilafah "Caliphate" Would Prevent Yemen’s Cholera Epidemic Produced by UN Blockade & US-Arab Military Coalition

News

Yemen could have as many as 300,000 cases of cholera within six months and an "extremely high" number of deaths, the World Health Organization said on Friday.
"We need to expect something that could go up to 200,000-250,000 cases over the next six months, in addition to the 50,000 cases that have already occurred," Nevio Zagaria, WHO Yemen representative, told reporters in Geneva by phone. The cost in lives from this will be will be "extremely, extremely high", he said. The epidemic began in October 2016 and grew until December.

It dwindled but was never fully under control, Zagaria said, and new cases had arisen with the rainy season, worsened by the collapse of the economy and the health system. The outbreak has caused 23,425 cases in 18 of Yemen's 23 governorates since April 27, and 242 people have died, he said. That misleadingly suggested a case fatality rate of about 1 percent, with the true rate more likely 4-5 percent, he said, adding that the latest data had taken health experts by surprise. "The speed of the resurgence of the cholera epidemic is unprecedented (for Yemen).” http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN18F0Z3

Comment

For the last two years, Muslims in Yemen have faced increased misery and hardship since the start of the military operation of the US-Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia. This campaign claims to protect Yemen and its people from the continued Houthi aggression that threatens the security of the region and international peace and security, and assists Yemen in confronting "terrorist organizations"! And as Trump addresses America’s obedient regimes at the Riyadh Summit, all sitting upright to hear their latest instructions; Muslim women and children in Yemen continue to suffer from their evil agreements.

The current cholera epidemic has infected up to a quarter of a million men, women and children, which under normal circumstances, is an entirely preventable disease. Culpable factors have maintained this manmade epidemic like the United Nations Security Council and its adopted 2216 Resolution in April 2015. although this UN resolution is said to impose an aerial and naval arms blockade preventing the “direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to or for the benefit of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Abdullah Yahya Al Hakim, and Abd Al-Khaliq Al-Huthi”, it has only hurt the Muslims of Yemen.

This criminal UN blockade and arms embargo that includes the inspection of all cargo entering Yemen by land, sea and air is carried out by Saudi Arabia. It is this UN and Saudi blockade that contributes directly to the increasing epidemic due to the restricting and disrupted import and export of food, fuel and medical supplies. Yemen is said to be 80-90% dependent on imported food, medicines and fuel for its survival. Saudi Arabia criminally uses Yemen’s dependency on imported goods as a war tactic, aiming to cause as much suffering as possible and ultimately bring Yemen to her knees. It is this collective punishment upon Muslims including children under the age of five who are dying every 10 minutes or 144 children per day from preventable diseases like cholera. Is it any wonder that 10 million children, or 80 percent of all of Yemen’s children, are in need of urgent humanitarian aid with 460,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition since the start of the blockade resulting in a massive fifty percent decrease in food, medical and fuel imports in 2015 alone?! The UN imposed resolution has enabled the Saudi Coalition to stop ships at will, check all cargo, delaying their entry for days, weeks or months at a time under the pretext of searching weapons that cause intentional and lengthy delays leading to in some cases the denial of entry to vessels in Yemeni ports.

Relentless US-Arab military operations are also to be blamed during which health facilities were subjected to air strikes causing destruction of hospitals and to their entire contents of medical equipment and devices.

Moreover, the constant bombardment from both sides of the conflict caused a lack of medical supplies and medicines, and absence of electricity and fuel for generators leading to a deficit in the provision of health services across the country. The health systems in Yemen, as a consequence, are barely functioning; hospitals are overflowing with potential patients with some facilities so overworked that patients have been sitting with IV drips in courtyards and even patients are taking fluids in their cars.

The suffering that Muslims are experiencing is because of the absence of Islam and its state; the State of the Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashidah (Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood which guarantees the availability of human health resources, adequate health infrastructure, and proper accessibility. This is because public health is one of the basic needs of the society, and it is because the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«الإمام راع، ومسؤول عن رعيته»

“The Imam is a shepherd and he is responsible.” (Bukhari)

Therefore, the solution to the problems in Yemen is the full implementation of the system of Islam, for within it the full protection of the Yemeni women, men and children is ensured.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Tsuroyya Amal Yasna