In the midst of Yemen’s protracted civil war, Hollywood star Angelina Jolie recently paid a visit to the Middle Eastern country to help refugees.
Taking to Instagram, Jolie, who has spent almost two decades working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, informed her followers that she has “arrived in the capital city of Aden” and also spoke about the struggles being faced by the displaced families, People reported. “I’ve landed in Aden, to meet displaced families and refugees for UNHCR @refugees and show my support for the people of Yemen,” Jolie wrote in the caption. “I will do my best to communicate from the ground as the days unfold,” she wrote.
She added, “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. The situation here is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with one civilian killed or injured every hour in 2022. An economy devastated by war, and over 20 million Yemenis depending on humanitarian assistance to survive.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Angelina Jolie (@angelinajolie)
A post shared by Angelina Jolie (@angelinajolie)
Jolie compared the ongoing humanitarian situation in the country to the current devastation in Ukraine, demanding compassion for people affected by both conflicts.
“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,” she penned. “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,” she hoped.
Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014, for the uninitiated. It began with Iran-backed Houthi rebels seizing control of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and the country’s northern regions.
