Drones were hovering over the Yemeni
capital of Sana’a on Wednesday as Muslims break their fast following the end of
Ramadan, while Western embassies remain shuttered and are scrambling to get
their staff out of the country amid the threat of a terrorist attack.
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| A view of Old Town in Sana'a, Yemen |
The ruckus was triggered by an alleged
intercepted message between al-Qaeda officials in recent days hinting on a
possible attack inside Yemen. From the outside, Yemen suddenly turned into a
very dangerous place to be in, prompting Western governments to withdraw
embassy personnel and issue travel bans to the Middle Eastern country.
Devex spoke to several aid groups
which indicated how such threats are making life even more difficult for them
than it already was. Insecurity is already a norm for many of them in Yemen,
and such high security alerts are just reinforcing that feeling and forcing
some of them to suspend work.
“The matter is psychological in that
the threat and high security precautions are a constant impediment to our work
… The unsafe environment is a daily reality in Yemen we are confronted with. At
Sana’a level there are no ‘acceptance’ strategy measures to put in place as our
programs are in the field, [though] we strongly emphasize acceptance along with
a set of internal security measures to minimize risk,” said ACTED Country
Director Toma Dursina.
ACTED helps address malnutrition and
food security, promote livelihoods and provide water and sanitation in
communities like Hodeidah, Rayman, Ibb and Ad-Dhalee, all of which located
southwest of the capital.
Under constant threat
Insecurity is an unfortunate reality
in Yemen.
Aid workers, particularly
international ones, are in constant risk of violence and kidnappings in the
country. In June 2012, a staff member of the International Committee of the Red
Cross reportedly died in an airstrike in Abyan provinc, and just
this May, three ICRC
employees were abducted for three days in the same province.
But no one’s pulling out, at least for
now.
With the end of Ramadan just starting,
most offices remain closed, although Dursina said ACTED’s field work is on
“virtual standstill” and everyone is keeping behind closed doors.
“From our analysis we are not
potential targets, as the embassies are perceived to be, but rather a potential
collateral damage, toward which we protect by being in lockdown,” she said.
Another aid official working for an
iNGO in Yemen shared the same view: “We do not think that INGOs will be the
target of attacks, [but] of course we will avoid any unnecessary risks.”
The organization, in fact, has already
taken precautions, relocatingsome of its most vulnerable international staff
members and advising the rest to go into “hibernation” for the moment.
The official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, said the iNGO is following the situation closely and will assess
in coming weeks whether to take more drastic measures or resort back to normal
settings - “meaning very limited movement for international staff.”
Humanitarians on their own
A security forum set up by both iNGOs
and U.N. agencies provides advice to groups on security situation on a daily
basis in Yemen.
This is also where the government
courses relevant security information. But apart from that channel, aid workers
are left to fend for themselves and take cautionary measures on their own.
“In general we follow [the security
forum’s] advise. But each iNGO takes its own measures,” explained the official.
The currently tense and unpredictable
environment in Yemen may take some time to pass, but then again, it has always
been that way, aid groups noted.
The official argued: “You know this is
not that different than a normal situation in Yemen for all aid organizations,
now the issue is on the news because of the closing of embassies and the
alleged threats of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.”
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