Narcisco Contreras - Yemen the Forgotten War

After years of internal political instability, culminating in several violent confrontations, Yemen was dragged into a civil war.  The Ansar Allah rebellion took over the government in Sana’a, drawing international engagement into the local conflict. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered in war against the Ansar Allah, Houthi insurgency engulfing the neighboring country in the bloodiest intervention in its recent history.

 Declared one of the poorest nations in the world, the country on the Arab peninsula is struggling to survive the last stage of its tragedy while international humanitarian organizations have declared a state of emergency, with nearly 1.4 million people internally displaced, 6,000 killed, hospitals shutdown and 21 million in need of dire humanitarian assistance. According to Peter Maurer of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Yemen is facing one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes he has seen. With virtually no media coverage, Yemen’s war is not only a forgotten war, but for many it is also an unknown war.

Tuesday 07 July, 2015, Beni Hassan, Yemen: Displaced women gather in the Al Manjoorah temporary settlement on the outskirts of Beni Hassan, in Hajjah province. As the heavy fighting resumed between the Houthi insurgency and the Saudi-led coalition, thousands of civilians were forced to flee to improvised camps throughout the northern rebel-controlled areas.

Friday 10 July, 2015, Sana'a, Yemen: Houthi militants shout political slogans in solidarity with the Palestinian people during the commemoration of "Al Quds," as they rallied against the Saudi-led military campaign launched to fight them.

Tuesday 07 July, 2015, Beni Hassan, Yemen: Displaced civilians are seen in the Al Manjoorah temporary settlement on the outskirts of Beni Hassan, in Hajjah province. As the heavy fighting resumed between the Houthi insurgency and the Saudi-led coalition, thousands of civilians were forced to flee to improvised camps throughout the northern rebel-controlled areas.

Tuesday 07 July, 2015, Hajjah Province, Yemen: A displaced family is seen in a temporary settlement in Al Okashiah, on the outskirts of Beni Hassan. The family fled from Haradh, a border town under control of the Houthi insurgency subjected to heavy bombardments carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in the Northwest of Yemen.

July 15, 2015 - Sa'dah, Yemen: Bashar Aldhamary, 15 years old, is rescued from the rubble of a house after it was hit by an airstrike from a fighter jet from the Saudi-led coalition in the northern city of Sa'dah, the stronghold of the Houthi movement in Yemen. His family was buried under the rubble during the attack.

July 15, 2015 - Sa'dah, Yemen: The younger brother of Bashar Aldhamary, 15 years old (not pictured), is seen under the rubble of a house building after it was hit by an airstrike from a fighter jet from the Saudi-led coalition in the northern city of Sa'dah, the stronghold of the Houthi movement in Yemen. The family of Bashar was buried under the rubble during the attack.

July 15, 2015 - Sa'dah, Yemen: The mother of Bashar Aldhamary (not pictured) struggles for her life at the local hospital after she was rescued from the rubble of their house, hit by a fighter jet from the Saudi-led coalition in the northern city of Sa'dah, the stronghold of the Houthi movement in Yemen. The family of Bashar was buried under the rubble during the attack. Two members of his family, the mother and his brother (not pictured) died from their injuries, while his sister (not pictured) survived.

July 05, 2015 - Hajjah, Yemen: The bodies of three civilians lay in the morgue of the Jamhoony Hospital of Hajjah city after they were picked up from a market place hit by an airstrike in the border towen of Haradh. The attack was carried out by a fighter jet belonging to the Saudi-led coalition. Thirty civilians were killed and 67 severely wounded, reported by Medecin Sans Frontier (MSF) in the Northwest of Yemen.

July 15, 2015 - Sa'dah, Yemen: Smoke rises from a house as a fighter jet from the Saudi-led coalition strikes the northern city of Sa'dah, the stronghold of the Houthi movement in Yemen. One family was buried under the rubble during the attack. Two members of the family: the mother and one son (not pictured) died from their injuries, while another son and one daughter (not pictured) survived.

Monday 20 July, 2015: An iron seller wearing a traditional Yemeni dagger, or jambiya, chews khat inside a shop in the Old City of Sana’a. The ongoing aerial campaign of bombardments by the Arab states and their western allies led by Saudi Arabia and the heavy fighting against the entrenched Houthi insurgency in Yemen’s main cities has caused an international alert for recognized, cultural heritage sites in Yemen, such as the historic town of Zabid, the Old City of Sana'a and the Old Walled City of Shibam.

Monday 20 July, 2015, Sana'a, Yemen: Residents and supporters of the Houthi insurgency chew khat at dusk in the Old City of Sana'a. Men wearing traditional clothes carry weapons and patrol the streets in the capital, where Houthi supporters are entrenched against the government.

Sunday 12 July, 2015: Rubble and debris is all that's left at the site where four historic residences were pulverized by a Saudi-led airstrike on June 12 in Sanaa, Yemen. Five residents were killed in the early-morning attack, the first time the Saudi-led bombing campaign hit the capital's Old City, which has been inhabited for more than 2,500 years and is easily recognizable for its mud brick "gingerbread-style" houses.

July 05, 2015 - Amran, Yemen: Civilians are seen along the road in the mountains of Amran, a small city under control of the Houthi insurgency and subjected to heavy bombardments by the Saudi-led coalition. The mountainous northern region is the stronghold for the Houthi movement, where its political  and religious beliefs have their roots.