Over the last decade Yemen has been the scene of warfare involving the employment of advanced air delivered weapons of Western origin by Saudi Arabia, of insurgent warfare conducted by al-Qaeda, of improvised ‘technicals’, and of ballistic missiles. As result of this ongoing conflict, Yemen has become the scene of what the United Nations have described as one of the worst ongoing humanitarian disasters of modern times and in which tens of thousands of people have died and millions have been displaced.
Asmaa Waguih Eltobi visited Yemen on numerous occasions since 2016, reporting on the war there between its internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the Houthi militia, a religious and political movement alleged to be receiving military support from Iran.
The impact of the war has continued to be felt by the people of Yemen. Making matters worse is the ongoing conflict in Gaza which began on 7 October 2023 and which at the time of writing continues to reverberate across the region of the Middle East and in Yemen in particular.
As the United States and Britain launched airstrikes against the Houthis for disrupting global shipping to protest the bombardment of Gaza, millions of Yemenis who have already lost everything in the last decade are now farther away from their elusive dream of peace and stability.
This book is a combination of the photos Eltobi took through different trips to Yemen. The photos show everyday reality in a nation experiencing one of the world’s longest running wars. The conflict may not be visible in every frame but it infuses all the images.
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