Yemen Crisis: Senators Push to End US Support Of Saudi Arabia
Local Editor
Three US senators introduced a resolution that will force the chamber to vote for the first time on whether the US should continue to support Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen, a conflict that has led to the deaths of at least 10,000 civilians there and driven the Middle East's poorest country to the brink of famine.
The joint resolution, sponsored by two senators from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, independent Bernie Sanders, Republican Mike Lee, and Democrat Chris Murphy, is a rare effort by Congress to claw back its war powers from the executive branch. Aides to senators say the resolution, which would trigger a vote over whether to end US participation in the conflict, is unprecedented in the Senate.
The intent of the resolution is to revive the decades-long debate over defining - and in their view, reclaiming - Congress's constitutional role in declaring war, according to aides to both senators.
Since the conflict escalated in March 2015, nearly 2 million children are out of school, including almost half a million who dropped out. Also, health workers and teachers have been only partially paid for over a year, affecting education for 4.5 million children.
At the end of September 2017, 256 schools were reported totally destroyed, 150 schools were occupied by displaced people, and 23 by armed groups.
Meanwhile, as the humanitarian crisis deepens, lawmakers are increasingly questioning support for the Saudis, even as the Trump administration refuses to criticize the kingdom.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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