Salam – The War In Exile

Through a series of portraits and testimonies, Salam – A war in exile questions Yemeni citizens living in
Paris on their feelings in the face of this war that is interfering in their daily lives. In addition to the suffering associated with war, there are those of forced exile, loneliness, feelings of helplessness and injustice. A reflection on both the question of identity and the means of resilience of a community cut off from its roots.
Refugees, exiles, or born in France, all share the hope of returning to their country and their loved ones. The Yemeni diaspora is thus revealed, with its plurality of backgrounds and testimonies, in order to sensitize the general public on the ravages of war and on the humanitarian emergency in Yemen

I come from the city of Hodeida, in a desert region of Yemen. There I was studying Law, but I had to stop because of the war. There were constant power cuts, even at university. The situation became difficult for all Yemeni people because essential commodities such as oil, gas and electricity were scarce and their prices depended on the black market. For example, the majority of people have stopped using their cars. One year after the beginning of the war, I left Yemen to continue my Law studies in Saudi Arabia. I had an opportunity for university there. Once I finished my studies, I came to France to apply for asylum. For a long time, I have lived in many places: in shelters, at friends’ homes, on the street, at railway stations, at airports. But I tried to overcome my problems by trying to forget them and by learning French. If I can reach a good level of French, I hope to do my master’s degree here. I would like to emphasize a paradox in France. This country stands for human rights and against dictatorships. But at the same time, it supports criminals like Sissi and sells arms to Mohammad bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. France is not clear: either it supports the will of peoples to change their regime to live in peace and security, or it gets rid of its aspirations to be the homeland of human rights. There is a contradiction I do not understand.
The war has made us homeless. My family and I are far from our people and our homeland. I hope my children will visit their country one day, but Yemen has become a battlefield. Children, women and old people die in bombings. Our heart is broken thinking of Yemen.
Every child should have parents.
Elaine does not have the words to communicate. Yet, at her young age, she is already separated from her native country she has never known.
Ghassan : The war has destroyed the country, but I do not want my brother to be sad. Luai : I did not have time to know Yemen.
The war separated me from my country and from my family. Since 2010 I didn?t see my grandmother, my cousins, my uncles and aunts who live in Yemen. I haven?t watched my cousins grow up, and I never got to meet the youngest ones. The war destroys Yemen, the population is stuck in a disastrous humanitarian situation. Famine kills and the population also faces a cholera epidemic due to lack of access to drinking water. The first victims are women and children, it is important to act to stop it.
I lost my husband during the war. Today I am a refugee in France. It is important for me to show this veil : it is a typical veil of Sana’a, full of colors. Black burkas are the consequence the devastating influence of Saudi wahhabism.
In my head, it’s a disaster. I?m racked with guilt when I read about Yemen. A part of my family is in the conflict. They suffer, and I just feel completely powerless. I do not know what to do. I wish I could act but it is difficult. Rethinking this war and this humanitarian catastrophe take my smile away. I can not stand hearing people complaining about anything anymore. Thinking about this conflict makes me put things into perspective. Unfortunately the conflict in Yemen has very little echo here. I ask for the humanity of the French people for an outburst of solidarity for these thousands, no millions, Yemenis between life and death. Yemen, once the most prosperous country in Arabia, suffers and lives the biggest cholera crisis ever recorded. Despite this disaster, the French governement remains silent and continues to sale weapons to the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia. It must stop! How is it that the French State, which carries the values of human rights so high, can close its eyes to the cataclysm that strikes Yemen? Although the State remains silent, people can act and manifest the horror of this crime. So, of course, it is far away problem, and we have our owns here, but we can not look away from the state of Yemen nowadays.
This is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, yet nobody talks about it.
War is misfortune in all its shapes. Every day we learn the death of a friend or an innocent person. Every day I see that my country is sinking into misery. We struggle when we see the suffering of millions of Yemenis caused by the war and its consequences such as famine, poverty, epidemics and all sorts of misfortunes. France can help put an end to this tragedy. It is not human to see all this suffering in Yemen without acting.
I expect from France, a country of human rights, to live up to its commitments in terms of arms export. As advocated by the European Parliament (and already decided by Germany and other Member States), France must stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These countries have been starving and bombing Yemen on a daily basis for 4 years. Every day the same images of destruction, desolation and death get repeated. It revolts me, saddens me, and makes me sick. It’s an endless nightmare.
The war in Yemen affects me every day. Since the beginning of the war, I feel desperate for my country. My dream has always been to go back to work and help my country. Now it is shattered. I worry every day for my family in Yemen, I miss them so much. I can not go back to Yemen to visit them, and they can not come to visit me in France. This is because of the closing of Sana?a airport as well as the airfare prices which have tripled since the beginning of the war.
For me the war in Yemen is a longing. A longing for political changes first. To read this article which will announce the return of peace, the lifting of the embargo and the reopening of airports. To know that no one dies from hunger and curable diseases in Yemen any more. But it is also a more personal longing. To get back to my family around a meal, to smell perfumes which are distant but yet so familiar. Like the city after the rain, my grandmother’s bread, the incense filling our house . I wait to be able to walk on the streets of Sana?a, to feel serene and not alienated by this war which never ends.
The war has a direct impact on our daily lives and on our psychological situation. But the problem remains for the families in Yemen, who no longer have the strength to survive. The inflation, proliferation of diseases, lack of medicine and food, disruption of electricity and gas, loss of jobs, interruption of wages, famine – all of that makes us live in fear and wait for death.
The war affects me every day because my family lives in Yemen and I hope every minute that nothing happens to them. It’s hard not to have no news and to know they lack of so many basic things such as medicine, clean water and food. I would like the French government to stop thinking about their economic interests and those of big arms companies without taking into account the value of human life. A Yemenite is worth as much as a French or a Saudi.
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Office : 39 John Street, Studio 2B-2 New York, NY 10038

© 2024 Middle East Images, LLC.