The following public letter appeared in the Washington Post
100 Faith leaders from all 50 states agree: Congress must end arms sales and military support for the war in Yemen
As Americans of faith, we call upon Congress to end all U.S. arms sales and military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the war in Yemen, which has led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and put millions more at risk of famine, in what has become the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Since 2015, the United States has provided military support to a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which has been engaged in a failed military campaign attempting to reclaim control of Yemen from an armed group known as the Houthis. All sides have committed extensive violations against civilians, and interfered with lifesaving humanitarian aid, which has resulted in over 24 million Yemenis – four-fifths of the country’s entire population – in dire need of humanitarian assistance to survive.
Children in Yemen are among the most vulnerable, and a Yemeni child dies on average every ten minutes of preventable causes. With more than one million children suffering from malnutrition, even those who survive will be robbed of their futures and suffer lifelong health consequences. By the end of 2019, the war in Yemen will have caused more than 230,000 deaths, with the majority being children under the age of five. No child should face this horrific fate.
Our faith compels us to protect the most vulnerable, and to seek a peaceful end to deadly conflict. Now is the time when the United States could help halt the unimaginable horrors the Yemeni people have suffered for more than four years.
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). By suspending all U.S. arms sales and military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the war in Yemen, Congress can show that the United States stands for a peaceful resolution of Yemen’s horrific conflict. Congress must act without further delay to help end the war in Yemen.
“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
