ACTION ALERT: US Arms and Money Are Supporting the War in Yemen

March 3rd, 2018 - by admin

Sarah Arnold / The Nation & StopTheWar & RootsAction & CREDO Action – 2018-03-03 18:37:47

https://stopthewar.us/?source=nation

ACTION ALERT: End US Involvement in
The “Worst Humanitarian Crisis in the World”

Sarah Arnold / The Nation & StopTheWar

(March 2, 2018) — Yemen is facing a massive humanitarian catastrophe and we need your help to stop it. American aid is crucial to the Saudi war effort, and removing our assistance would limit Saudi attacks and maybe even push them to the negotiating table.

Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, introduced a resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Will you write to your members of Congress to demand that they join them.

UN agencies have said that the conflict in Yemen has created “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.” An estimated 10,000 people have died. Millions are at risk of starvation. For over three years, the US has contributed to this devastation by refueling Saudi aircraft and sharing intelligence — all without Congressional approval.

The resolution makes clear that US participation in this war is unconstitutional and that the president must seek approval from Congress — and the American people — before bringing the US into yet another armed conflict.

Join us today in demanding that the US stop fueling the catastrophic war in Yemen. Email your lawmakers now and tell them to support the War Powers Resolution S.J.Res. 54 to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

THE LETTER
As your constituent, I urge you to take action to end American complicity in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. We cannot sit by while our government increases suffering in a country devastated by conflict, cholera, and famine. I strongly urge you to co-sponsor and support the bipartisan War Powers Resolution S.J.Res. 54 sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT). The privileged resolution would end US military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

What’s Going in Yemen?
Since March 2015, the US has supported an Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a civil war in Yemen. The war, that pits an armed Yemeni rebel group called the Houthis against the Yemeni government, has resulted in massive civilian casualties, and the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. It has killed more than 10,000 Yemenis and wounded more than 40,000, the majority of whom were civilians.

The United Nations has stated that US-supported airstrikes carried out by the Saudi-led coalition are the leading cause of civilian casualties. Meanwhile Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented coalition airstrikes that have repeatedly targeted schools, hospitals, weddings, public markets, water and sanitation systems, and other vital civilian infrastructure — all probable war crimes carried out with US support.

The coalition’s destruction of such vital civilian infrastructure has created the conditions necessary for the world’s largest humanitarian crisis — a crisis even larger than Syria according to the UN. The coalition has also used starvation as a weapon of war by blockading and interfering with the delivery of vital humanitarian and commercial assistance, which the majority of Yemeni civilians depend on for survival.

Thanks to the war, more than 8 MILLION people are now on the brink of starvation and Yemen is home to the largest and fastest growing cholera crisis ever documented. Every 10 minutes, a Yemeni child under 5 dies from starvation or disease. It’s time to end America’s role in this suffering.

The United States’ Role in Yemen’s Civil War
Congress has never authorized America’s involvement in this war in Yemen, yet for almost three years the United States has literally fueled the conflict and its war crimes. Since the beginning of the intervention in March 2015, the United States has provided midair refueling to coalition jets, shared intelligence for targeting assistance, other logistical support, and sold US bombs to the coalition.

Throughout the war, Saudi Arabia and its allies have targeted civilians, hospitals, schools, and farms with American made bombs dropped by planes refueled by America. Meanwhile, the US has provided Saudi Arabia and its allies political cover while they deliberately use starvation and disease as weapons of war, putting 8 million Yemenis a step away from famine. None of this brutality would be possible without continued American support.

What Does This Bill Do?
America’s unconstitutional war in Yemen has never been authorized by Congress. That’s why Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced a resolution, which would end US military involvement in the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen. The resolution would end US refueling of and intelligence-sharing to coalition warplanes conducting aerial bombings in Yemen. It invokes the War Powers Resolution of 1973 that was passed in the wake of Vietnam to empower Congress as the sole body that can declare war.

Under the War Powers Resolution, this important legislation is guaranteed a vote, which means that the Senate will finally debate and vote on this completely unauthorized war soon. This legislation is our best chance to end America’s role in this unconstitutional war and push for peace, which is the only significant way to relieve the suffering of the Yemeni people.

Our public dollars should not be funding Saudi and UAE war crimes in Yemen.

ACTION: Will you sign our petition and call your senators today to urge them to support the Sanders-Lee resolution?


ACTION ALERT: Sanders/Lee Legislation Would Halt US Role in Attacks on Yemen
RootsAction.org & Stop the War.org

(March 1, 2018) — Senators Bernie Sanders and Mike Lee have just introduced a resolution that should force a vote in the coming days on whether to end participation by the US military in the devastation of Yemen. US tax dollars are being spent to create the worst humanitarian crisis on the globe — and we now have a chance to stop it. Yemen now has some hope.

For years, following the destabilization created by a US drone war on Yemen, the US military has been helping to target Saudi strikes on Yemen, and refueling mid-air the Saudi planes provided by a US company with US approval.

Now, beyond the widespread death, destruction, and disease epidemics, 8 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine. But Sanders and Lee have introduced a resolution to cut off US participation in this war. Will you join our movement and urge the Senate to pass this resolution?

Make no mistake: This is a United States war in Yemen. With United States support, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are deliberately using starvation as a weapon of war in Yemen and allowing diphtheria and cholera to ravage the country. A Yemeni child dies every ten minutes from famine or disease.

Like the drone war before it, this war is also making Al-Qaeda and ISIS stronger, even according to the US intelligence agencies. This resolution is our best chance to end US support for this unconscionable, human-made crisis — but we only have a few days to make sure your Senators vote for this bill.

THE LETTER
As your constituent, I urge you to take action to end American complicity in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. We cannot sit by while our government increases suffering in a country devastated by conflict, cholera, and famine. I strongly urge you to co-sponsor and support the bipartisan War Powers Resolution S. J. Res. 54 sponsored by Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT). The privileged resolution would end US military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

ACTION:Tell the Senate: Stop the bombing and let food and medicine into Yemen to save the lives of millions. Vote yes on the Sanders-Lee war powers resolution on Yemen.
Click here to join a major coalition effort to swamp every US Senator with the overwhelming demand to end the disgraceful US role in Yemen.

Thank you for raising your voice to end the suffering of the people of Yemen.

P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former US Senator James Abourezk, Frances Fox Piven, Lila Garrett, Phil Donahue, Sonali Kolhatkar, and many others.


ACTION ALERT:
Tell the US Senate: No War in Yemen

CREDO Action from Working Assets

(March 3, 2018) — Last August, an American-made laser-guided bomb killed seven children in Yemen’s capital city. [1] Before the strike, a 5-year-old named Buthaina had five brothers and sisters. After the strike she had none. Buthaina and her siblings were just a few of the estimated 5,000 killed or injured in the Saudi-led war in Yemen that started in 2015 — an average of five a day. [2]

Right now, American military forces are refueling the Saudis’ American-made planes so that the Saudis and their coalition can drop American-made weapons to carry out a devastating war that is killing civilians, destroying crops, cutting off access to ports and wreaking havoc on the people of Yemen.

As a result of American support for the war, millions are facing starvation and the country is battling what may be the worst cholera epidemic in history. [3]

We must speak out now to stop this deadly war in the Middle East. Fortunately, progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders just introduced bipartisan legislation to invoke the War Powers Resolution, which would require a vote in the next few weeks on ending US support for this Saudi-led war. [4]

We have a short window to demand that the Senate vote to end US military involvement and withdraw its support from the conflict that has led to what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. [5]

For nearly three years, under the guise of reassuring our allies and “confronting Iran,” the United States has quietly assisted Saudi Arabia in their conflict with the Houthis — a Yemeni Shiite militia group originally formed around the historical economic and political marginalization of Yemen’s northwest.

The United States has provided weapons, provided logistical and intelligence support, and helped refuel coalition jets as they dropped bombs on Yemeni civilians. But the Houthis have limited ties to Iran and absolutely nothing to do with Al Qaeda, ISIS or any other terrorist organization that could conceivably fall within the scope of military intervention authorized by the current Authorization for Use of Military Force. [6]

This unauthorized war started under the Obama administration, and in the face of egregious civilian casualties, President Obama scaled back US involvement. But Trump has given the Saudis and the United Arab Emirates the green light to double down on its disastrous air campaign. [7]

The civilian death toll in Yemen has been heart-wrenching — with over 10,000 casualties and rising — but the United States continues to offer resources to the Saudi-led coalition.

In October 2016, a coalition airstrike targeted a funeral procession, killing over 130 innocent people and injuring 500 more. [8] During the 10 day period from Dec 6 — 16, Saudi airstrikes killed 136 civilians, including at least seven civilians when they Saudi-led coalition struck a hospital on Dec. 10. [9]

Then on Jan. 1, Saudi airstrikes killed 23 people in the port city of Hodeida. [10] In providing the Saudi-led coalition targeting intelligence, mid-air refueling and other logistical support, the United States is complicit in violations of international law.

Tell the Senate: S.J.Res.54 to end US support for Saudi-led war in Yemen.
Beyond the direct violence, the ongoing war in Yemen has forced millions to flee their homes, resulted in the world’s worst cholera outbreak, and has left more than two-thirds of Yemen’s population — more than 20 million people — not knowing where their next meal will come from. [11]

According to the UN 400,000 Yemeni children are acutely malnourished — that is at risk of death from starvation — while as many as 8.4 million people in Yemen are on the verge of famine. [12] That is because Saudi forces are using food as a weapon of war — enforcing a blockade that has stopped much needed food, medicine and supplies from entering the country. [13]

What’s more, the war has contributed to a fast-moving cholera outbreak — the largest documented in modern history — that has already affected more than 1 million people. [14]

US tax dollars are directly financing this Saudi-led war, even though US involvement has not been authorized by Congress — whose responsibility it is to debate, vote on and authorize military action. By participating in this war in this way, Congress and Donald Trump are robbing the American people of their right to be represented in these decisions.

Congress must remove us from this conflict, immediately. Tell the Senate: Pass S.J.Res.54 to end US support for Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Thank you for standing up for peace.

References
1. The New York Times, “Young Yemeni Girl Is Sole Survivor After Airstrike Topples Her Home,” Aug. 26, 2017.
2. AFP, “Yemen war: 5,000 children dead or hurt and 400,000 malnourished, UN says,” The Guardian, Jan. 16, 2018.
3. Bethan McKernan, “Yemen: almost one death per hour as cholera epidemic spreads like wildfire,” Independent, June 9, 2017.
4. Lee Fang and Alex Emmons, “Bernie Sanders Wants to End US Support for Yemen War. Saudi Lobbyists Fought Similar Measures Last Year,” The Intercept, Feb. 28, 2018.
5. Robert Naiman, “Rand Paul: Unconstitutional Saudi War In Yemen Is Not In Our Interest, And Congress Should Vote,” HuffPost, Sept. 19, 2017.
6. Joost Hiltermann and April Longley Alley, “The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah,” ForeignPolicy, Feb. 27, 2017.
7. Samuel Oakford, “US Doubled Fuel Support for Saudi Bombing Campaign in Yemen After Deadly Strike on Funeral,” The Intercept, July 13, 2017.
8. Catherine Thorbecke, “US-Made Bomb Used in Airstrike on Funeral in Yemen, Human Rights Watch Says,” ABC News, Oct. 13, 2016.
9. UN Commission on Human Rights, “Press briefing on Yemen and Gaza,” Dec. 19, 2017.
10. The Washington Post, “World Digest: Jan. 1, 2018,” Jan. 1, 2018.
11. Reuters, “More than 8 million Yemenis ‘a step away from famine’: UN,” Dec. 11, 2017.
12. AFP, ” Yemen war: 5,000 children dead or hurt and 400,000 malnourished, UN says.”
13. Clarissa Ward, Salma Abdelaziz and Scott McWhinnie, “In Yemen, the markets have food, but children are starving to death,” CNN, Dec. 19, 2017.
14. Bel Trew, “One million cases in Yemen cholera crisis,” The Times, Dec. 22, 2017.

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