The Republic of Yemen is a country larger in size than the state of California. It covers an area of about half a million square kilometers. There are more than 25 million people in Yemen.
In the past, it was divided into two separate countries. South Yemen became an independent state in 1967 after the departure of the British, and North Yemen became a state in 1918 after the demise of the Ottoman Empire. The two countries became united after a brief war on May 22, 1990.
The republic of Yemen as one country has one of the oldest civilizations. It has archaeological treasures, which would make any archaeologist admire the rich history this country has. And the position of Yemen is one of the most strategic places on earth. It is at the Bab Almandab entrance connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Eden and the open ocean. Yemen was called the happy Yemen for hundreds of years. It was one of the richest countries in the area. And North Yemen had a head start when it gained independence in 1918. And South Yemen was one of the most advanced regions when the British used it as a connecting link between the East and the West. Aden port was one of the most advanced ports in earlier time and it has been a natural harbor from ancient times. When the British left South Yemen in 1967, it was the only active port that ships can visit. But in 1967 South Yemen became more communist than the USSR.
Both South and North Yemen became enemies even though they had more common things between them than any other two divided countries. Both places have very hard working population and very fertile land. And the question that many people can’t answer is… why Yemen had been and still is the poorest and most dangerous place to be in?
Yemen has many natural resources including oil. It has two very stable and rich neighbors, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Yemen was able to get the highest financial aid from the outside. It was receiving constant financial aid from Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf States. America and Europe always had interest in Yemen and made many efforts to help Yemen to improve its infrastructure. So, where did the money go? Yemen had been and still is the most unstable state in the world. But, no one paid real attention to Yemen till the day when a small boat struck one of the mighty US Navy ships, USS Cole on Oct. 12, 2000 in a terrorist attack. And even then, the rest of the world didn’t know that this was a prelude to a bigger attack not only on an American target, but, on the United States of America. Both the USS Cole attack and the 9/11 attack happened in broad daylight. Then people turned their heads to Yemen and the Yemeni people.
Now, Yemen is becoming the hottest spot to recruit terrorists. The Yemenis have nothing to lose. There is widespread poverty, poor education and every individual is armed to the teeth. It is the only country where you can buy any firearms and in any quantity. But, don’t the people of Yemen deserve a better and stable life and why a land that can grow any agricultural product has many hungry people? It is the Qat, which takes big part of their time and bigger part of their money.
The Qat is a leaf which is considered a narcotic in many countries.
Yemenis still have the best opportunities to make their country the most beautiful and most prosperous. The Yeminis traveled to Saudi Arabia and many other countries and they brought with them billions of dollars. But, the money was misused. Isn’t ironic to see the old and new Yeminis be part of building the infrastructure in many places in the Arab world, but they contributed very little in building their own country. Is it because when you take the Qat from them, then they are very hard workers and can learn any skill very easily?
Yemenis are victims of decades of conflicts between the both parts of Yemen and among themselves. Yemen was never under control of a central political body. It has a tribal system at its worst. Loyalty is the tribal chief. Yemen is one of three countries which never had a peaceful transfer of government. The other two are Pakistan and Iraq. South and North Yemen had many coups and all of them were very violent. Many people got killed and there was no time to build the country.
Yemen got its share of the Arab Spring and just a year ago, a revolution brought down President Ali Abdullah Saleh and after that a series of atrocities that the world knows about, but nothing can be done to save Yemen. And it became a breeding ground for terrorists.
Now, the sad part about Yemen is that there is starvation among the women and children despite the fact that it has one of the most fertile lands in the area and has hundreds of miles of coastlines which can feed the starving people merely by fishing. And nowadays, cultivation is becoming harder because Yemen is the first country on earth where you might find people dying of thirst. Yemen is running out of water resources and the country doesn’t have the capability to build desalination plants.
Yemenis are the only ones who can rebuild their country. War between the North and South or between the tribes never solved any conflict. These days, the world is going through a very difficult time and not ready to give a helping hand to the Yeminis. They Yeminis must put their hands together and fight poverty and improve education. And no matter how much aid Yeminis get from the outside, 25 million people are beyond any country’s capability to help no matter how powerful or rich this other country is.
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