SANA'A: Yemen's Vice-President Abdo Rabbu Mansoor Hadi warned on Saturday that he feared that a “revolution of the hungry” was about to strike Yemen if nothing was done to resolve the current food crisis immediately. Hadi, which from the beginning of the uprising has been seen as figure of unity and measure as both the opposition and the ruling regime look upon him favorably, is said to be growing wary of the situation. After nearly 10 months of fierce opposition to President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen is sinking fast into abject poverty plagued by sky rocketing food prices and rising unemployment. Several humanitarian agencies such as the UNICEF and the UNDP have rung the alarm bell saying that Yemen was a catastrophe in the making as malnutrition was spreading like wildfire, bringing in its wake diseases and violence. Already dubbed the “poorest country” of the Arab peninsula, experts agree that Yemen cannot take any more. With its political institutions in tatters, its economy on life support and its social orders shattered to the wind, Yemen is unraveling before the world. “We fear that a hunger revolution will ensue from the 10-month- long political impasse if the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative is not finalized soon as many civilians without affiliating with any political parties were the most affected in the various aspects of life,” Hadi said. Several families have admitted that they are only eating bread as even beans had become too much for their shrinking budgets. Yemeni women have been forced to look for work, resigned to become maids, considering even to make the trip to Saudi Arabia since the Kingdom announced it had opened its visa application to Yemeni women looking to become house workers. Despite their reticence, many families are forced to overlook their customs and traditions as they cannot bear to see their children suffering from hunger any longer. In his statement, Hadi also revealed that the opposition and the regime had resolved about 85 percent of their differences, adding that if there was a genuine yearning for peace, all could be sorted quickly. However since negotiations seem to have reach a deadlock, things are looking bleak for Yemen. BM
