Welcome to Maine for Yemen
This site is for Mainers who want action on solving Yemen's terrible humanitarian crisis, and fixing the mistaken American policies that are helping fuel it.
More than 10,000 civilians have died since the war began in Yemen in 2015. Both sides - the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition - are complicit. But the United Nations and leading human rights organizations have implicated the coalition in systematic attacks on civilian objects such as schools, hospitals, factories, markets and civilian objects with no discernible military target nearby.
Worse still, the coalition has severely damaged transport infrastructure (ports, bridges, highways, mountain passes) for a country that imports 90% of its food. As a result more than 7 million people are in severe food insecurity, with the threat of famine looming in the coming months. The quiet death toll from starvation and preventable diseases is consuming tens of thousands of Yemeni lives.
And we, Mainers and Americans, are complicit as well. The Saudis and their coalition allies are dropping billions of dollars worth of American bombs on Yemen. America is refueling their jets and providing targeting intelligence. The US provides Saudi Arabia with important political cover, helping block independent reviews of the coalition's actions.
And now President Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis are pushing for direct US participation in the Saudi-led coalition. Our forces would be involved in trying to seize control of the port of al-Hudeidah, the most important entry point for humanitarian assistance in Yemen. The United Nations has specifically warned that fighting near the port could tip the country into famine.
At Maine for Yemen we believe in confronting our moral responsibility in this catastrophe. We Mainers must push our elected officials to oppose further arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition, demand Congressional approval of expanded US participation in the Yemen war, pressure Saudi Arabia to provide full access for humanitarian assistance, and increase US funding for emergency famine relief.
We want to do so through targeted citizen action: pressure on Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin, informing and engaging other Mainers, raising private funds for famine relief.
On this site you can learn how to get involved and make a difference, and also find background information on the crisis in Yemen and America's role there.
Together we can push for US policy in Yemen that reflects our values as Mainers and Americans.
Maine for Yemen contact: Brian Milakovsky. milakovsky@gmail.com
More than 10,000 civilians have died since the war began in Yemen in 2015. Both sides - the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition - are complicit. But the United Nations and leading human rights organizations have implicated the coalition in systematic attacks on civilian objects such as schools, hospitals, factories, markets and civilian objects with no discernible military target nearby.
Worse still, the coalition has severely damaged transport infrastructure (ports, bridges, highways, mountain passes) for a country that imports 90% of its food. As a result more than 7 million people are in severe food insecurity, with the threat of famine looming in the coming months. The quiet death toll from starvation and preventable diseases is consuming tens of thousands of Yemeni lives.
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| Destruction caused by airstrikes in the capitol Sanaa. From hrw.org |
And we, Mainers and Americans, are complicit as well. The Saudis and their coalition allies are dropping billions of dollars worth of American bombs on Yemen. America is refueling their jets and providing targeting intelligence. The US provides Saudi Arabia with important political cover, helping block independent reviews of the coalition's actions.
And now President Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis are pushing for direct US participation in the Saudi-led coalition. Our forces would be involved in trying to seize control of the port of al-Hudeidah, the most important entry point for humanitarian assistance in Yemen. The United Nations has specifically warned that fighting near the port could tip the country into famine.
At Maine for Yemen we believe in confronting our moral responsibility in this catastrophe. We Mainers must push our elected officials to oppose further arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition, demand Congressional approval of expanded US participation in the Yemen war, pressure Saudi Arabia to provide full access for humanitarian assistance, and increase US funding for emergency famine relief.
We want to do so through targeted citizen action: pressure on Senators Collins and King and Representatives Pingree and Poliquin, informing and engaging other Mainers, raising private funds for famine relief.
On this site you can learn how to get involved and make a difference, and also find background information on the crisis in Yemen and America's role there.
Together we can push for US policy in Yemen that reflects our values as Mainers and Americans.
Maine for Yemen contact: Brian Milakovsky. milakovsky@gmail.com
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