the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
warned Thursday that civilians in Syria and Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
are being "willfully abandoned to misery." He is urging the international community to press for an end to the violence and better protection of civilians.
Ban told news hounds the crisis in Yemen has plunged an already very poor country into a severe humanitarian crisis. He said attempts by Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the
Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews...
rebels to seize more territory violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. This has led to an escalation in the conflict, as a Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
n-led Arab coalition conducts
"The coalition air raids -- and the continuing attempts by the Houthis and their allied gangs to expand their power - have turned an internal political crisis into a violent conflict that risks deep and long-lasting regional repercussions," said Ban. "The last thing the region and our world need is more of the chaos and crimes we have seen in Libya and Syria."
The U.N. children's agency - UNICEF - says that since fighting began on March 26, about 100,000 people have been displaced and at least 74 children killed. Some hospitals and medical facilities have been attacked and aid agencies are struggling to get in urgently needed assistance to civilians in several parts of the country.