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Yemen: A glimmer of hope in a devastating war

A truce in Yemen has allowed for some Yemenis to hope of a better future – and a chance to rebuild.

Boys play football at sunset in Tarim, Hadhramaut.
Boys play football at sunset in Tarim, Hadramout. The centrepiece of this historic town is the al-Mihdhar Mosque or, to be more precise, its minaret (seen at the back of this picture). It is the tallest minaret in Yemen. [Tariq Zaidi
/Al Jazeera]
By Tariq Zaidi
Published On 16 May 2022

Al Mahrah, Yemen –  A two-month truce has brought some hope to Yemen. The United Nations-brokered deal between a Saudi-led coalition and the Yemeni government on one side, and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, is a significant step towards ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and pushed millions into hunger.

The last coordinated cessation of hostilities nationwide was during peace talks in 2016.

Although the bombs have stopped falling, seven years of brutal conflict have taken a devastating toll on an already impoverished country and led to what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Since the start of the war in 2015, the UN Development Programme estimates that more than 370,000 people have died, 60 percent of them from indirect causes such as lack of food, water, and health services.

Two out of three Yemenis require humanitarian aid and protection, and four million are internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.

Air raids and shelling have resulted in the breakdown of hospitals and schools, while a shortage of food – which worsened as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – has affected more than 16.2 million Yemenis, with in excess of 2.25 million children suffering from acute malnutrition.

But behind the statistics, the politics, and the headlines, what is life really like for Yemeni people? With much of the attention on the Houthi-held north, many people living in the country’s government-held south talk of facing an “economic war”.

As a man from Sanaa who now spends most of his time in the south said, “they are bleeding in the north – here in the south we are bleeding softly”.

It remains to be seen whether the current UN-brokered truce will lead to lasting peace in Yemen.

But despite the ongoing uncertainty, life goes on.

Children go to school, fishermen bring in their catch and people wait in traffic jams, all of them hoping that Yemen will be able to find peace and rebuild itself.

A man sits in the middle of his fruit and vegetable stall at a food market in Seiyun.
A man sits in the middle of his fruits and vegetables stall at a food market in Seiyun, in eastern Yemen's Hadramout governorate. Half of the workers in the agricultural sector have lost their jobs because of the ongoing war and conflict. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
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The tiny 500-year-old mud-brick village of Haid Al-Jazil stands perched on a rock in the Dawan Valley in central Yemen
The tiny 500-year-old mud-brick village of Haid al-Jazil stands perched on a rock in the Dawan Valley in Hadramout governorate. Once home to hundreds of people, in the past three decades, many locals have relocated to Saudi Arabia for work. Those who stayed behind are mostly children or the elderly. A 2004 census found just 17 people living in the village, 10 of whom were members of the al-Amoudi family. The village of Haid al-Jazil dates back to the 16th century. Today Haid al-Jazil has just one resident who looks after the village. Years of heavy rains, erosion and a lack of regular upkeep have left almost 70 percent of homes in ruins. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
A shepherdess with her goats, Wadi Dawan, Hadhramaut Governorate.
A shepherdess with her goats in Wadi Dawan, Hadramout governorate. This female herder wears a madhalla, a traditional Yemeni hat made from plaited date palm leaves that is designed to keep the wearer cool. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Bedouin men stand around a campfire between Rumah and the "Empty Quarter"
Bedouin men stand around a campfire between Rumah and the 'Empty Quarter' - a sand desert encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. Here, Mahri Bedouins raise their camels and goats in relative isolation. They split their time between the town and the desert, as their camels are in the desert and their wives, children and goats are in the town. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Portrait of a fisherman, Khyseet fishing village near Haswayn.
Portrait of a fisherman, Khyseet fishing village near Haswayn. He uses a head torch as they take their boats out at 6pm and come back with their catch between 2am and 4am. Before the war began in Yemen in 2015, the fishing industry employed more than half a million people (according to a UNDP report). Fishing was once Yemen’s second-largest economic sector after oil and gas and contributed 15 percent of Yemen’s gross domestic product (GDP). The war severely devastated the sector. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the war has cost the fishing industry $6.9bn as a result of damage to harbours, landing centres and boats. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Schoolgirls during a lesson in Wadi Dawan, Hadhramaut province.
Schoolgirls during a lesson in Wadi Dawan, Hadramout governorate. This small school has four classes and about 90 students. All students are aged between eight and 16 years. Given the remoteness of villages and the small size of the school, boys and girls study together. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
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The village of Sif at night, Wadi Dawan.
The village of Sif at night, Wadi Dawan. A large white building made from mud bricks and carved into the mountain towers above the rest of the village. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Two boys perched on a cliff watch the fishing boats leave from Khyseet village, near Haswayn
Two boys perched on a cliff watching fishing boats leave from Khyseet village, near Haswayn. Today the biggest problem facing fishermen is not the lack of fish but the countrywide fuel shortages. They used to fish every day but are now severely limited by the dwindling gas supplies. To make matters worse, the price of fishing tools and fuel went up dramatically because of the conflict. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
A man returns to shore with his catch for the day at Sayhut fishing village, between Itab and Sharkhut.
A man returns to shore with his catch for the day at Sayhut fishing village, between Itab and Sharkhut. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Men at a religious gathering in Tarim, Hadhramaut.
Men at a religious gathering in Tarim, Hadramout. Tarim is a historic town widely acknowledged as the theological, juridical, and academic centre of the Hadramout Valley. An important focus of Islamic learning, locals believe that it contains the highest concentration of descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (Sayyids) anywhere in the world. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Men play a board game at sunset in Wadi Dawan, near Haid al-Jazil village.
Men play a board game at sunset in Wadi Dawan, near Haid al-Jazil village. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
Men buy Khat from their local Khat market, Sayhut town
Men buy khat from their local khat market, Sayhut town. Khat chewing is widespread among Yemeni men and provides a high income for its farmers. This flowering plant has been used as a stimulant and social custom for centuries in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. In 2000, khat accounted for 30 percent of Yemen's economy, according to a World Bank estimate, but it also takes away water from other crops. The widespread cultivation of khat in Yemen has exacerbated a severe water shortage and it has also played a significant role in a famine in the country. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
A beekeeper looks after his bees in Wadi Dawan, between Hajjrain and Sif.
A beekeeper looks after his bees in Wadi Dawan, between Hajjrain and Sif. The Hadramout region is famed for its prized honey produced with traditional methods. 'Sidr' honey is among the most highly valued honey in the world, selling abroad for up to $300/kg. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
A family waits in their car, stuck in a traffic jam in Al Ghaydah
A family waits in their car, stuck in a traffic jam in Al-Ghaydah, a southern coastal city that has become home to many northerners fleeing the war. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]
The Walled City of Shibam, Hadramaut Governorate.
The walled city of Shibam in Hadramout. This small town of about 7,000 people dates back to the fourth century and is packed with about 500 mudhouses, which stand between five and 11 floors tall and reach 30 metres (100 feet) high, all constructed entirely of mud bricks. The oldest city in the world to have used vertical construction techniques, in 1982 Shibam was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. [Tariq Zaidi/Al Jazeera]