In Pictures

Gallery|Humanitarian Crises

Meet the families who survive in the rubble of their former lives

The war in Yemen has created the largest humanitarian catastrophe on the planet today.

Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
On June 5, Abdulrahman, 33, and his family heard a loud explosion outside their house in Sana'a. The neighbour's building had been hit by an air attack. 'We never expected something like this to happen so close to our home. My youngest son still runs to a corner and hides whenever he hears planes hovering over us.' [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]

By Becky Bakr Abdulla

Published On 20 Sep 2018

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As Yemen’s brutal conflict enters its fourth year, the sound of air attacks remains the daily wake up call for many families. Attacks on homes, hospitals and schools are the new normal across the country. The violence has forced over three million people from their homes. More than 60,000 Yemenis have been killed or injured since the conflict started in 2015.

Cuts in salaries, hikes in food prices and the recent devaluation of the Yemeni currency have added to an already toxic mix that has left millions of people without the means to survive.

Recent United Nations efforts to bring conflict parties to the negotiations table and secure peace have been unsuccessful, leaving millions of people without any hope that the war will end soon.

The conflict in Yemen is not a Yemeni problem alone. Multiple nations are engaged in the war, from financing fighting factions to providing arms that enable the killings to continue. The United Kingdom, United States, France, Iran and all power players in Yemen’s man-made war can use their influence to bring about an end to the violence.

But until they do, ordinary families continue to bear the brunt of the violence.

This photo essay is provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Muhannad,10, became sick with cholera before his family was forced to flee their home town, Taizz, eight months ago. 'I couldn't even move because of the stomach pain,' remembers Muhannad. His mother Fahria said he was so ill she thought he would die. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
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Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Yusuf,28, lost eight members of his family when an air attack hit their home in Amran city in June. Four among the dead were his cousins, all under 13 years old. The youngest was an eight-month old baby. 'They [conflict parties] are targeting civilians more than each other. This war on innocent people must stop,' says Yusuf. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
A young girl stands inside Al Habbari camp for displaced people in Sana'a city. The settlement is on private land and receives a small amount of support from its owner. Families living here lack basic services, such as showers and toilets. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
A group of young girls sits in the rubble of their school in Amran city. The school had been open for only a year before it was struck by an air attack in 2017. Two thousand children were left without education as a result. [Suze van Meegen/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Abdullah,36, stands in front of the rubble of his former workplace. 'This cement factory holds a part of my life. I worked here for 35 years,' says the laboratory manager. The factory provided 1,500 people with jobs in Amran city. But the plant was targeted by several air raids in 2016. Fifteen of Abdullah’s co-workers were killed in the attack. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Hassan ,5, and his 3-month-old sister, Ratif, were told to leave their home in Hodeidah, where violence has escalated in the past months. Half a million people fled the region between June and August alone. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
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Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Ahmed, 39, and his son Ali, 6, were forced to flee with the rest of their family from Taizz to Sana'a. Ahmed used to be a farmer and made a decent living selling vegetables. It's not the first time they've been on the run because of the war. As a result, they are left with little to no belongings. 'I want my children to go to school, be fed and have good health,' says Ahmed. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Abdullah, 8, and his brother Hussein, 2, in front of their shelter in a camp for displaced people in Sana'a city. Abdullah joins his father each day as they try to eke out a living in their new surroundings. 'I spend my days collecting plastic jerry cans for water. Every morning I collect them and try to sell them,' says Abdullah. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Khalid, 6, walks next to a burnt-out car outside his home in Sana'a city. Since an air attack hit his neighbour's home, Khalid runs and hides whenever he hears a plane approaching. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Mohammed,42, and his son Muntab,19, stand in the ruins of a destroyed school in Amran Governorate. 'Why are they targeting Yemeni citizens? What is our fault? We don't have weapons, we don't have rockets, we don't have anything. We are peaceful citizens only looking to feed our families and children,' says Mohammed. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Nine Yemenis living in this house were killed instantly when air attacks hit last year. Attacks from both parties on civilians and civilian infrastructure are the trademarks of Yemen's brutal war. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict so far. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Zaumala (in back row), his wife Waslame (next to him) and their children fled to Amran Governorate two years ago when the war began. Before fleeing, the couple's daughter was killed in an air raid during a visit to the local market. They buried her before they fled. 'I didn't know whether to run after my other children or attend to my daughter,' says Zaumala. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
Only rubble remains of a house that was bombed in a civilian neighbourhood in Sana'a city. It was hit during Ramadan on the evening of June 5. Seven civilians were injured, including four children. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]
Yemen’s manmade hell /Please Do Not Use
This camp in Amran Governorate is home to hundreds of displaced families. Living conditions in the settlement are dire, with no water, hygiene or sanitation facilities. Displaced families live in cramped shelters, and children have visible rashes and wounds on their bodies. Families living here are at greater risk of disease in what has become the world's largest ever cholera outbreak. [Becky Bakr Abdulla/Norwegian Refugee Council]