On the southern half of the Arabian Peninsula is Yemen, a land of ancient cities and beautiful landscapes. The country boasts a long history of trade in frankincense and myrrh, and it is also a source of premium coffee beans.

But Yemen also happens to be one of the poorest countries in the Arab world and has faced decades of instability. And since 2015, civil war has gripped the country and left the people in dire need of humanitarian aid.

At the center of the conflict are the Houthi rebel movement and the forces allied with President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. Early on, the Houthis advanced and took control of key cities. In response, Saudi Arabia and several other Arab states formed a coalition and began air strikes against the rebels.

Since then, the crisis has spiraled and fighting has engulfed the entire country. More than 8,000 Yemenis have been killed and almost 50,000 injured in the conflict. Millions of people face shortages of food and water, and less than half the country’s health facilities are functional.

Intensifying the people’s suffering is the coalition’s closure of air, land, and sea routes in 2017. This blockade was put into place to stem the flow of arms into Yemen after the Houthis fired a missile at the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

However, shutting down Yemen’s ports has also blocked deliveries of food, medicine, and aid. Millions of people are facing malnutrition, starvation, and one of the world’s worst cholera outbreaks.

• Pray for the millions of Yemenis who are on the brink of famine. Pray for an end to widespread malnutrition that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of young children.
• Ask God to protect the Yemeni people and provide them with much-needed food and medicine. Pray for an end to the conflict.
• Pray that the Gospel of hope will go forth and that many will encounter Jesus Christ and embrace His gift of eternal life.

Original article: https://www.frontiersusa.org/blog/article/pray-for-yemen