STORY: Summer heatwave exacerbates suffering of displaced Yemenis
DATELINE: Sept. 1, 2023
LENGTH: 00:04:13
LOCATION: HAJJAH, Yemen
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the huts of internally displaced persons (IPDs) in a refugee camp in the Midi district, Hajjah Province, northern Yemen
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED MUTANBEK, Refugee in the camp
3. various of the camp
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MOHAMMED ABKAR, Refugee in the camp

STORYLINE:

As temperatures soar to 50 degrees Celsius, the displaced Yemenis living inside the refugee camp in the country's northern Hajjah Province are suffering in desperation with little means to combat the scorching weather.

"We're grappling with an intense heat wave. It's suffocating for us and our children. To add to the hardship, dust storms and advancing sand relentlessly compound our troubles, dismantling our shelters and causing illness among our livestock," Muhammad Mutanbek, a resident of the refugee camp in the Midi District of Hajjah, told Xinhua in front of his hut.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED MUTANBEK, Refugee in the camp
"We've had to move more than four times, from Al-Makhzen villages to Bani Fayed, then to Abs and Al-Oud, and now we're here. Our homes are these fragile huts that can easily fall apart from even small damage. Almost every year, sometimes in just six months, we build new huts to keep our children safe from the wind, dust, and rain. We keep getting displaced because of the war, and we really hope we can go back to our first home."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MOHAMMED ABKAR, Refugee in the camp
"I had to leave my home in Al-Makhzen and move to Hayran, then through Bani Hassan, and finally to Abs. We stayed in Abs for a while, but we had to move again to Bani Fayed. It's been a tough journey. This is my grandson, who's been with me for five years because he's far from his parents. His mom and dad really miss him and they're sad about it."

There is no electricity in the camp, where approximately 500 families have been entrenched here for years. Adding to their plight, securing water also poses a formidable challenge. The nearest water well lies miles away, necessitating an arduous journey on donkey back under the relentless sun.

In the early morning hours, children seize the opportunity to play before retreating into the huts to evade the strong sunlight and the unforgiving heat. However, their merriment is often short-lived, as their laughter gives way to cries and screams brought on by the oppressive heat and discomfort.

As a province that is predominately desert, the people here are used to hot weather during the summer. But the heatwave this year has gone beyond the expectations of all.

Mutanbek said many of the displaced have resorted to building huts from straw and mud in the desert, as these materials are more effective at maintaining cooler temperatures compared to the plastic tents they used to live in. But that was still not enough for this year's heat wave.

Ahmed Jarbhi, a local official, told Xinhua that the heatwave this year has been considered as "the last straw" for many of the refugees in the camp.

He noted the clinic near the camp has reported an increase in various cases such as heatstroke, heart diseases, breathing disorders, etc., adding that it adds particular strain on those who suffer from chronic diseases.

"Many of the older people in the camp didn't make it through this summer," Jarbhi said.

In addition to the heat wave, the refugees are also faced with a shortage of food, medicine, sanitation facilities, clean water -- basically any essential services. Many of them are satisfied with one meal a day.

In February, the Yemeni government estimated that around 19,000 displaced individuals currently live in the ill-equipped camps in the Hajjah Province, which was once a brutal battleground and has been witnessing a relentless tug-of-war between government forces and Houthi rebels.

"I used to think that we could go back to our home soon, while years have passed, nothing good has ever happened to us," said Mutanbek.

There are around 3 million internally displaced persons in Yemen, which has been plunged into a civil war since late 2014. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis, with more than two-thirds of Yemenis in need of humanitarian assistance.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hajjah, Yemen.
(XHTV)