Similarity Between Lampedusa and Yemen's Situations
November 26 2017 By Abiodun Giwa
Lampedusa and Yemen currently present deadly similarities, leading to quizzes about the scourge of unemployment and the shooting war. And major concerns are about fatalities, and the enormous filling of body bags, in both areas.
The war in Yemen, according to the CBS's 60 minutes news program, may have turned into the use of starvation as an instrument of war.
Unemployment is widespread in Africa and partly or almost responsible for the mass migration from the continent to the wealthy nations and mass death of illegal immigrant in Lampedusa waters.
People are saying that this evil side of Lampedusa concerning the mass death of illegal immigrants may never be resolved, unless governments in Africa and others parts of the world where illegal immigrants head toward Lampedusa, abolish the flagrant abuse of governance by providing employment opportunities and livable economic climate to people. But people don't seem to know what to do to stop the effects of war in Yemen.
Let no one make a mistake to categorize Lampedusa as not a war situation. It has become a common knowledge that Lampedusa has become a moral equivalent of war, because it is only in a war situation like the one in Yemen that people end up in body bags and chances of survival slim, as the Lampedusa situation has also become.
Just this past week, 26 Nigerian girls were reported buried in Lampedusa area in Italy, few days after their bodies were found (dead) following the drowning of the boat that carried them across the waters from only God knows where. News reports say that a Nigerian government official has raised a question about why authorities in Italy have rushed the burial of the girls. Against the real question that should have been about the circumstances that was responsible for the girls embarking on a deadly journey in the first place.
Whatever the girls were doing where their dead bodies were found and eventual burial of the bodies became secondary issues. Those girls were not the first set of Nigerians or Africans to drown in Lampedusa, just as some fortunate ones had survived. The expected question should have been about what their home government may have done about the provision of employment and conducive economic climate, enough to make people stay for economic struggle and survival at home, instead of embarking on dangerous journey across the sea in overloaded boats.
Although, boat operators and government officials in Italy, who have been allowing overloaded boats and resultant drowning and deaths in the Lampedusa waters, are as culpable as governments that are unable to provide for their people's economic needs, resulting in their leaving the country at all cost to their lives.
The triangular culpability from the death in Lampshade waters and the seeming confusion like there is no solution to Lampedusa drowning drama is what has made it a war like situation that makes it look like the real war situation in Yemen. The situation in Yemen is a war between Saudi Arabia on one side with Yemen and their Iranian enablers on the other. The situation in Yemen is a shooting and bombing war, like any other war that has been described in various literary works about the dangers of war that has no respect for human lives or survival of human lives.
Many reason can be advanced for the Saudis blockade of access to get goods into Yemen. And one of such reasons may likely be to prevent Yemen at all cost, from getting ammunition and humans from Iran to continue the war. Unfortunately, moving foods and essential needs get caught up in drama and the innocent people in the country especially children become immediate victims.
What to do to stop the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is to stop the war. When the war is stopped, there will be enabling environment to address the issue about cholera and other effects of war. In the same way, if Zimbabwe and other African countries reduce their unemployment rate from about 90 percent to four percent, the human traffic traveling through Lampedusa waters in uncertainty and resulting body bags will be reduced.
The war in Yemen, according to the CBS's 60 minutes news program, may have turned into the use of starvation as an instrument of war.
Unemployment is widespread in Africa and partly or almost responsible for the mass migration from the continent to the wealthy nations and mass death of illegal immigrant in Lampedusa waters.
People are saying that this evil side of Lampedusa concerning the mass death of illegal immigrants may never be resolved, unless governments in Africa and others parts of the world where illegal immigrants head toward Lampedusa, abolish the flagrant abuse of governance by providing employment opportunities and livable economic climate to people. But people don't seem to know what to do to stop the effects of war in Yemen.
Let no one make a mistake to categorize Lampedusa as not a war situation. It has become a common knowledge that Lampedusa has become a moral equivalent of war, because it is only in a war situation like the one in Yemen that people end up in body bags and chances of survival slim, as the Lampedusa situation has also become.
Just this past week, 26 Nigerian girls were reported buried in Lampedusa area in Italy, few days after their bodies were found (dead) following the drowning of the boat that carried them across the waters from only God knows where. News reports say that a Nigerian government official has raised a question about why authorities in Italy have rushed the burial of the girls. Against the real question that should have been about the circumstances that was responsible for the girls embarking on a deadly journey in the first place.
Whatever the girls were doing where their dead bodies were found and eventual burial of the bodies became secondary issues. Those girls were not the first set of Nigerians or Africans to drown in Lampedusa, just as some fortunate ones had survived. The expected question should have been about what their home government may have done about the provision of employment and conducive economic climate, enough to make people stay for economic struggle and survival at home, instead of embarking on dangerous journey across the sea in overloaded boats.
Although, boat operators and government officials in Italy, who have been allowing overloaded boats and resultant drowning and deaths in the Lampedusa waters, are as culpable as governments that are unable to provide for their people's economic needs, resulting in their leaving the country at all cost to their lives.
The triangular culpability from the death in Lampshade waters and the seeming confusion like there is no solution to Lampedusa drowning drama is what has made it a war like situation that makes it look like the real war situation in Yemen. The situation in Yemen is a war between Saudi Arabia on one side with Yemen and their Iranian enablers on the other. The situation in Yemen is a shooting and bombing war, like any other war that has been described in various literary works about the dangers of war that has no respect for human lives or survival of human lives.
Many reason can be advanced for the Saudis blockade of access to get goods into Yemen. And one of such reasons may likely be to prevent Yemen at all cost, from getting ammunition and humans from Iran to continue the war. Unfortunately, moving foods and essential needs get caught up in drama and the innocent people in the country especially children become immediate victims.
What to do to stop the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is to stop the war. When the war is stopped, there will be enabling environment to address the issue about cholera and other effects of war. In the same way, if Zimbabwe and other African countries reduce their unemployment rate from about 90 percent to four percent, the human traffic traveling through Lampedusa waters in uncertainty and resulting body bags will be reduced.
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