State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) introduced House Resolution 308 on Sept. 2, urging the U.S. government to condemn the war in Yemen, formally call for a solution to the conflict and increase humanitarian aid to the impacted communities.

The resolution reflects the negative impact COVID-19 has had on this ongoing crisis, and calls for a system to be implemented to help Yemeni civilians fleeing these hardships to enter the United States if they have immediate family members to be with.

“As the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate the world, we are urging the federal government to provide additional aid to Yemen, as civilians must be able to access medical care, food, clean drinking water and a means to rebuild their homes,” Hammoud said. “Our decision as a nation to act, or not act, will be felt by millions of people. Between the fighting and the famine, aid is a long overdue necessity, and we must not delay in addressing one of the world’s greatest humanitarian crises.”

The fighting in Yemen has been ongoing since March 2015, and since then, civilian casualties continue to rise as a result of famine, cholera, COVID-19 and continued warfare. Millions of civilians, including women and children, have been suffering, with an overwhelming rise in preventable tragedies leaving 80 percent of Yemen’s population in need of humanitarian assistance.