US Envoy to Yemen denied the blockade on Yemen after CNN covered Yemen’s fuel and food shortages. Call him out! |
Dear friend,
When a six-year, US-supported blockade that has caused unimaginable suffering in Yemen is finally covered by a major US news outlet, the new US envoy to Yemen has the nerve to lie about the realities of the blockade. We are calling on Biden’s Yemen Envoy Tim Lenderking to admit that the Saudi blockade of Yemen’s main port is causing mass starvation and insist that the Saudis lift the blockade. Add your name!
A few days ago, CNN reported on the horrific blockade on Yemen. CNN’s Senior International Correspondent Nima Elbagir went to Yemen and saw firsthand the effect of the blockade on healthcare, food availability, and fuel supply. The report noted that since early January, the Saudi coalition has not allowed fuel ships to dock at Hodeidah port, which has caused a massive fuel shortage that is felt in every aspect of life in Yemen. The blockade has also stopped food from being delivered, causing severe malnutrition among children. Elbagir’s coverage on the blockade shows hospitals overflowing with malnutrition cases. CNN’s Jake Tapper was so infuriated by the report that he tweeted: “The US government is complicit in starving these children.”
After Nima Elbagir’s story aired, Jake Tapper asked her about the response she has received from the United States. Elbagir said that Tim Lenderking, the US envoy to Yemen, flat out denied the blockade. Lenderking told Elbagir that the fuel ships were allowed to enter the port, but the waters are currently patrolled by Saudi Arabia and have not been allowed to dock at Hodeidah port since January 3. Lenderking also claimed that food is able to flow in and out of Hodeidah freely. But that is also a lie. If food were able to come in and out of Yemen, then millions of Yemenis wouldn’t be dealing with food insecurity and famine.
It is outrageous that Tim Lenderking has chosen to lie about the reality of this horrific blockade. How can we expect the envoy to be an honest broker if he is lying about the most basic realities of the crisis? Call on Lenderking to apologize, tell the truth about the blockade on Yemen, and insist that the Saudis lift it immediately!
Peace,
Danaka, Ariel, Ann, Angela, Carley, Ciara, Cody, Emily, Farida, Grace, Jodie, Kelsey, Leila, Leonardo, Maxine, Mary, Medea, Nancy, Paki, Sana, and Teri