SANAA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- In Yemen, good things seem to be ephemeral.
In March last year, Saudi Arabia and Iran reconciled with China's mediation, and the peace process in Yemen took an important turn. While the 30 million Yemenis were waiting for the dawn of peace, the sudden Red Sea crisis plunged us into despair once again.
Yemenis line up to receive free food at a relief center in the capital, Sana'a, on March 26. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Mohammed)
After the outbreak of the new Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, the situation in the Red Sea has become increasingly tense, which worries me. My wife, Nadia, comforted: "As long as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ends, calm will return to Yemen." ”
But the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not over. As the fighting in Gaza drags on and civilian deaths rise, the Red Sea crisis has intensified.
In the early hours of January 12, before I fell asleep, I suddenly received a message from a colleague: "The United States and Britain are likely to carry out air strikes on Sana'a." Please stay safe. ”
Despite my premonitions, I was extremely frustrated and angry when the boots finally landed, because the airstrikes meant that the peace process in Yemen would come to a complete standstill.
Waking up our wife and daughter, we began anxiously searching the house for a place to take shelter – despite years of airstrikes in Sana'a, there was still no dedicated underground shelter nearby. In the end, I decided, "Hide under your bed." ”
"What's wrong Daddy?" asked my 8-year-old daughter, Sidra, worriedly.
Perhaps out of impatience, perhaps out of fear, I did not answer her question, but only eagerly, even rudely, asked her to hide. Sidra obediently slipped under the bed, just looking at me in horror with big eyes. Feeling a little sorry, I shoved her most beloved doll and said to my wife, "You must be safe." I still have work to do. ”
I went to the rooftop, and it was pitch black outside. Due to poor infrastructure and lack of electricity, Sana'a, Yemen's largest city, is often poorly lit at night. I wonder if there will be anyone else in other corners of the city who stands in the dark and stares at the night sky like me, anxiously and worriedly waiting.
This is a footage of the explosion after an airstrike in Sana'a, Yemen, on January 12 (mobile photo). Xinhua News Agency
Suddenly, I heard the strange and familiar roar of an airplane. A few years ago, air strikes were an almost daily routine for Sana'a residents, and everyone knew all about the different roars of fighter jets and airliners. Fighters are generally louder and sharper. I looked up and couldn't see where the fighters were, and the last bit of starlight seemed to be hidden behind the clouds in the dark night sky.
After a shriek, a loud explosion was heard in the distance. One, two, three, four...... Each explosion was louder than the last. Beneath his feet, the ground shook slightly. The neighbor's dog began to bark. My first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief, because in Sana'a people often say, "If you can hear an explosion, you are at least alive." ”
After that, I was busy writing, working almost non-stop until the next night, and it was only after a short break that fear and anxiety slowly came to my mind. When I saw the fear on my daughter's face, I couldn't help but feel sad: how long will she live under the clouds of war?
Sidra was born after the outbreak of the Yemeni Civil War and experienced many upheavals at birth. Now the situation has just improved somewhat, but overnight, is that carefully woven hope about being cut to pieces again?
After the first airstrike, the Houthis intensified their attacks on the Red Sea route. In response, the United States has continued to strike Houthi targets, carrying out only two rounds of airstrikes against densely populated Sana'a.
On February 24, smoke rose from the Yemeni capital after an air strike by US and British warplanes (mobile phone photo). Xinhua News Agency (photo by Azaki)
The 24 February one was particularly severe. It was as if there was an earthquake in the whole city, and it shook for several minutes, and all the windows of my house were shattered. Sidra hid in my arms in fear and asked me why the Americans were bombing us and if we would be forced to leave our homes like the people of Gaza.
I can't give her an understandable answer to these questions. We now live in a closely connected world, and the flames of war in Gaza seem bound to resonate in the Red Sea. And all of us are like boats at sea, relentlessly swept into the storm.
My neighbour Mutahar had just completed the formalities last November to travel to neighbouring Oman to treat a joint ailment that had plagued him for a long time. But now, his exit permit has been postponed indefinitely. He went to apply several times, and the reply he received was "wait for notice".
"Regaining hope and then being disappointed again is even worse than having no hope in the first place. Mutahar said.
For more than a year, Yemenis have come close to touching the elusive hope for peace, but the Red Sea crisis has wiped it all out in the blink of an eye. This hope is like fireworks in the dark night, fleeting, leaving disappointment and sorrow again and again...... (Translated by Wang Shang)
Source: Xinhua News Agency