Angelina Jolie Arrives in Yemen to Support Civil War Refugees

As the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine dominates international headlines, Angelina Jolie is asking for equal attention to be paid to other refugees around the world. Jolie, who serves as Special Envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency, is on the ground in Yemen to meet displaced families and refugees affected by the country’s civil war.

“As we continue to watch the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, and call for an immediate end to the conflict and humanitarian access, I’m here in Yemen to support people who also desperately need peace,” Jolie wrote on Instagram. “This week a million people were forced to flee the horrific war in Ukraine. If we learn anything from this shocking situation, it is that we cannot be selective about who deserves support and whose rights we defend. Everyone deserves the same compassion. The lives of civilian victims of conflict everywhere are of equal value. After seven years of war, the people of Yemen also need protection, support, and above all, peace.”

The Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi-led Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement have been at battle to control the Yemeni government since 2014. Jolie called the situation “one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with one civilian killed or injured every hour in 2022.” Posting images of Aden and Sana’a, Yemen, Jolie said she hoped to use her platform to help others understand what the country’s civilians were going through.

“More than 4 million Yemenis have been forced from their homes by violence, and live internally displaced inside the country,” Jolie said. “Over half of them are children. And there are at least 50 active frontlines across the country, meaning that civilians are still being killed and injured every day.”

Jolie wrapped up her latest report by reiterating she and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ goals for Yemen, including: “All parties to the conflict to respect and commit to international humanitarian law; safe passage for civilians trying to flee conflict areas; humanitarian access to all people in need, for humanitarian workers; a peace agreement to end the conflict; urgent support for the United Nations appeal for Yemen, which is only 9% funded.” See Jolie’s posts from Yemen below.

Jolie isn’t the only actor to report on the ground from humanitarian crises. Sean Penn had been in Ukraine filming a documentary about Russia’s invasion, but recently fled the country and walked to Poland as a 40-mile-long military convoy advanced on Kyiv.

U.N. refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie meets people displaced due to the ongoing conflict in Yemen pic.twitter.com/lGGkSB7S2k

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 8, 2022

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