Humanitarian groups beg U.S. to stop supporting Saudi coalition in Yemen

Aid groups on Monday urged the U.S. to stop providing military support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen, where a civil war has put 14 million people at risk of famine, reports The Hill.

Leaders of the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam America, CARE US, Save the Children USA, and Norwegian Refugee Council, USA, all signed the joint statement. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen "is entirely man-made," the groups wrote, and U.S. humanitarian aid hasn't done enough to outweigh the "military support and diplomatic cover" to Saudi Arabia and the UAE as the nations provide weapons in an effort to dismantle Houthi forces in Yemen. The U.S. has supported the coalition, which has been accused of committing war crimes against civilians

If it does not end military support in the region, the groups wrote, the U.S. "will bear responsibility" for civilian deaths. Though the U.S. earlier this month announced it would no longer provide midair refueling for Saudi planes conducting airstrikes in Yemen and called for a ceasefire, the aid groups said more proactive and drastic steps between all parties are needed to help Yemenis "live through the winter."

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"It pains us to write these words, but we cannot escape the truth," reads the statement. "If it does not cease its military support for the Saudi/UAE coalition, the United States, too, will bear responsibility for what may be the largest famine in decades." Read the full statement at Oxfam America.