The war in Yemen continues to be a stalemate with civilians bearing the brunt of the fighting in what the UN Human Rights Council has called “unrelenting violations of international humanitarian law.” According to the United Nations, since the war broke out in 2015, over 10,000 people have been killed, 45,000 have been wounded, half of the country’s population has been displaced, and nearly 14 million have been pushed to the brink of starvation.
Against this dire backdrop, CIVIC has adopted a multifaceted approach involving government actors, civil society, and communities to strengthen civilian protection. First, CIVIC advocates the parties with the most influence over conflict dynamics – the US, UN, Saudi-UAE Led Coalition, France, UK, and the internationally-recognized Yemeni government – to seek a political solution, stop indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. Second, CIVIC seeks to improve the knowledge of protection of civilians of nascent military and security forces in Aden, Al-Jawf, and Marib governorates through trainings of trainers (TOT). Third, CIVIC is supporting community-based protection efforts by building capacity of local NGOs and community leaders to hold local forces accountable in security operations and to communicate what more is needed to protect civilians from harm.