Yemen: Climate Crisis Limits Women's Access to Health Care

Pregnancies and childbirth are fraught with additional risks in displacement camps in Yemen (United Nations)
Pregnancies and childbirth are fraught with additional risks in displacement camps in Yemen (United Nations)
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Yemen: Climate Crisis Limits Women's Access to Health Care

Pregnancies and childbirth are fraught with additional risks in displacement camps in Yemen (United Nations)
Pregnancies and childbirth are fraught with additional risks in displacement camps in Yemen (United Nations)

One day, when Mahra was returning from fetching water, she collapsed on the road, and she was bleeding so badly that she felt she was going to lose her baby, according to a UN report.
Mahra was 31 years old and five months pregnant when she was forced to relocate with her family to the displacement camp in Taiz, southwest Yemen.
She explained to the UN Population Fund (UNFP) that they hoped to find some peace and safety, but there was nothing, and they had to fight for everything.
"But there was nothing. We had to fight for every drop of water, every morsel of food, and every breath of air. We had to walk miles to fetch water – it was very hard," she told the agency.
Mahra had four children to take care of, even though she was weak and suffering from malnutrition and pregnancy complications due to lack of proper care and nutrition.
After she collapsed, Mahra was driven to Aden and treated at the al-Sadaqa Hospital, which is three hours away from the displacement camp. She said her life and physical health were saved, but the pregnancy caused her mental health to deteriorate.
After Mahra left the hospital, she returned to the camp and had to resume her duties. She had no choice.
"I had to fetch water, cook, clean, and take care of my children and my few remaining sheep. I endured pain, sadness, fear, and despair... but I had to survive."
- Impact of climate extremes
New UNFPA research shows that climate extremes and the disasters that follow have a disproportionate impact on the mental and physical health of women, girls, and newborns, including anxiety, hypertensive disorders, preterm and low-weight births, and stillbirths.
According to UN data, Yemen is among the 14 countries most vulnerable to climate change, and over the past decade, the frequency and ferocity of extreme weather events, ranging from hurricanes to droughts to flash floods, has increased.
Climate disasters during 2023 led to the displacement of more than 200,000 people, many of whom were forced to move several times, losing their source of livelihood as well as any opportunity to obtain primary health care.
The UN Fund confirmed that for women and girls, the repercussions were wide-ranging and life-threatening.
The Fund states that as the conflict continued, severe drought prevailed in various regions of the country, exacerbating the situation for millions already fleeing for their lives.
In a humanitarian crisis, women and girls face a litany of dangers, from higher risks of gender-based violence and exploitation to forced and child marriage, diseases, and malnutrition.
According to the UN Fund, the lack of food, water, and health access, together with overexertion and high levels of stress, mean that pregnancies and births are also fraught with added danger.
- Difficult situations
Women in Yemen face harsh living conditions, according to the UN report.
For example, to fetch water and firewood, they may have to walk for hours, often unaccompanied, under the burning sun, over treacherous land, and amid an active conflict.
However, Yemen's conflict has displaced more than 4.5 million people within the country and left over 21 million in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
The United Nations confirms that for many like Mahra, it wasn't always this way.
Many came from large families of farmers and herders who had lived off the land for generations and had many sheep and cows, crops, fodder, and a well provided clean water.
However, everything changed and rain became scarce, and they didn't know when to plant or harvest.
The crops failed, the well dried up, and the animals starved to death.
The UN indicated that the catastrophe has been compounded by Yemen's brutal war, which for eight years has created rampant insecurity and economic turmoil.
"The evidence is clear that climate change does contribute to increased conflict," noted the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which this week is convening a summit to address climate perils.
The climate crisis is only tightening its grip, and millions more lives and livelihoods hang in an increasingly fragile balance.



Lebanese Parties Warn Against Hezbollah Keeping Light Weapons

Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)
Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)
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Lebanese Parties Warn Against Hezbollah Keeping Light Weapons

Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)
Lebanese Shiite mourners gathered on Monday in Beirut’s southern suburbs to mark Ashura in a ceremony organized by Hezbollah (AFP)

A recent proposal circulating in Lebanon that would allow Hezbollah to retain its light weapons while surrendering heavy and medium arms has triggered widespread political backlash, with critics warning it poses a grave threat to state sovereignty and public safety.

The suggestion, floated amid long-running debate over the group’s arsenal, argues that other political parties and armed groups also possess light weapons for various reasons. But key political factions have rejected the idea outright, citing Lebanon’s bloody past and the potential for renewed violence.

Opponents of the proposal have pointed to the events of May 7, 2008, when Hezbollah fighters overran parts of Beirut and Mount Lebanon in a show of military force, underscoring the dangers of allowing any non-state group to keep arms.

“Classifying weapons as heavy, medium or light is useless,” said Kataeb Party leader Sami Gemayel in a post on X. “If heavy arms threaten Lebanon’s regional security, light weapons are even more dangerous to the foundations of the state.”

Gemayel reiterated that only the Lebanese army and legitimate security forces should bear arms, calling for the country to be entirely free of weapons held by non-state actors.

MP Ghada Ayoub, of the Lebanese Forces-led "Strong Republic" bloc, echoed that view, insisting the state must assert full sovereignty over all Lebanese territory and outlaw any form of armed presence outside the official security apparatus.

“There is only one armed group operating outside the state, and that is Hezbollah,” Ayoub told Asharq al-Awsat. “It must become a purely political party and clearly, unequivocally declare an end to its military activity.”

Ayoub also criticized recent remarks by Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, who vowed the group’s “resistance” would continue “without asking anyone’s permission.”

“The Lebanese state is responsible for enforcing a monopoly on the use of arms,” she said. “It must stop playing the role of a mediator or hiding behind the fear of war and internal strife. Time is not on Lebanon’s side.”

Ahmad Al-Kheir, a lawmaker with the “National Moderation” bloc, dismissed the proposal as “stillborn,” warning that light weapons have already been used to intimidate citizens and skew political dynamics.

“We saw yesterday how light arms were paraded through Beirut’s streets in a blatant attempt at provocation and coercion,” he said. “This is the real danger - using these weapons as leverage in political life, as we saw in the May 7 events and the occupation of downtown Beirut.”

“No one in Lebanon will accept this,” Al-Kheir added.

Additionally, critics warn that allowing any non-state entity to retain weapons threatens state authority and risks further destabilizing the country.

Al-Kheir urged Hezbollah and any other party in possession of light weapons to hand them over to the state, citing the recent example set by former Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt.

“Jumblatt announced that his party had surrendered its weapons weeks ago. This is the model to follow,” he told Asharq al-Awsat.

MP Waddah Al-Sadek, of the Change Coalition, said he had no objection to a phased disarmament process that begins with heavy and medium weapons, followed by light arms. He dismissed fears of civil war, saying only one side is armed.

“Armed conflict requires two sides. The army will not engage in internal fighting,” he said. “This talk of civil war is just fear-mongering unless Hezbollah resorts again to something like the May 7 scenario to avoid disarming.”

Al-Sadek stressed that Lebanon’s response to the US proposal - reportedly outlining phased disarmament - will be critical. “Does anyone really have an alternative to engaging with this proposal?” he asked.

Deputy head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Naji Hayek, said all weapons must be handed over, rejecting the idea that civilians or political groups should be allowed to keep light arms for self-defense.

“This theory no longer holds,” Hayek told Asharq al-Awsat, adding that training camps used to militarize society should be shut down. “Light and medium weapons are not only with Hezbollah - they exist with other parties that have military structures, and these too must be dismantled.”

Political analyst Qassem Qassir, who is close to Hezbollah’s thinking, said there is no internal consensus, nor any agreement with Hezbollah, to give up its heavy and medium arms while retaining light weapons.

“The party insists the issue is still the Israeli occupation and ongoing aggression,” he said. “For Hezbollah, no discussion on disarmament is possible until those threats end.”

Qassir warned that if a political solution to the weapons issue is not reached, “we will inevitably face military risks and internal conflict.”

Jumblatt announced in late June that his party had handed over its remaining weapons, including light and medium arms that were gradually accumulated after the May 7 clashes in 2008 during a period of heightened tension with Hezbollah.

He said the weapons had been centrally stored and fully turned over to the Lebanese state.