Covering Yemen’s crisis during 2024, was among 10 stories that left a strong impression on news reporters around the world, and will continue to have particular significance heading into 2025, according to “The New Humanitarian” news website.
“The New Humanitarian”, which is an independent, non-profit newsroom that believes in journalism as a force for good, found that Long before all eyes shifted to Ukraine and then Gaza (and before Sudan’s needs arguably overtook all others), Yemen was often called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
It also noticed that despite more than nine years of conflict and economic devastation, it has rarely made the headlines. And when it does, foreign journalists – not to mention the people planning aid programs and wars – rarely speak to, or listen to, ordinary Yemenis about what it’s like to live through it.
“The New Humanitarian” news website said that its team was able to run an initiative called “The Yemen Listening Project”, asking Yemenis one question: “How has the war impacted your life?” and made it easy to reply in Arabic or English by setting up a dedicated Yemeni WhatsApp line, website, and more.
It added that the responses soon came flooding in, as people shared stories about the trauma of bombings, personal successes despite the odds, the pain of exile, and why things that seem small – like road closures– actually make a massive difference in day-to-day life.
The result, according to the news website, is an unfiltered look at what Yemen’s war and humanitarian crisis has been like for millions of people, in their own words.
It goes beyond faceless narratives, press releases, and aid numbers, and it’s worth spending some time with this year.