October 16, 2009. Overlooking the central highlands of Yemen. The densely populated mountains of Yemen’s Sarawat range reach over 3,000 metres.
December 14, 2009. Yemeni soldiers chew qat, a mildly narcotic leaf, while on patrol in Wadi Doan in eastern Yemen.
Yemen Observer
October 16, 2009. Villagers involved in a tribal dispute with a neighbouring village in Yemen’s central highlands show off their weapons.
Vice: How did you become so interested in Yemen? It’s not exactly a country that often features on A Place in the Sun.
Brian O’Neill: The coverage of Yemen in mainstream media seems quick to condemn the place as going to hell in a handcart. Can it really be that bad?
How did this water crisis come about? We’re guessing it wasn’t a case of too many people leaving the sprinkler on.
Aside from a potential complete lack of water, what are the other major issues being overlooked by the media?
October 9, 2009. A boy waits in line for food at the Mazraq refugee camp in Hajjah province, Yemen. The displaced persons at Mazraq camp have fled fighting between rebels, known as Houthis, and the government in the Sa’ada province of northern Yemen. That doesn’t sound good. How about in the south?
So it became a little jihadi colony?
How deep has al-Qaeda sunk its tentacles into Yemen?
What sort of poverty levels are we talking about in Yemen?
January 16, 2010. A member of Yemen’s counterterrorism police force directs an exercise in the mountains outside the capital Sana’a. The special unit is trained by US and British Special Forces. Everywhere seems to be running out of oil. Is Yemen’s case more pressing?
There are also problems with piracy, right?
What form of piracy is this? Is it the kidnapping and ransom type you hear a lot about in Somalia?
Is there any meaningful effort being made by the West or international organisations to try to avert any of these impending disasters?
If things were to continue as they currently are, how long do you give Yemen before it becomes a totally failed state?
Would a total collapse make the country an even better base for al-Qaeda operations?
Videos by VICE
Brian O’Neill: The coverage of Yemen in mainstream media seems quick to condemn the place as going to hell in a handcart. Can it really be that bad?
How did this water crisis come about? We’re guessing it wasn’t a case of too many people leaving the sprinkler on.
Aside from a potential complete lack of water, what are the other major issues being overlooked by the media?
October 9, 2009. A boy waits in line for food at the Mazraq refugee camp in Hajjah province, Yemen. The displaced persons at Mazraq camp have fled fighting between rebels, known as Houthis, and the government in the Sa’ada province of northern Yemen. That doesn’t sound good. How about in the south?
So it became a little jihadi colony?
How deep has al-Qaeda sunk its tentacles into Yemen?
What sort of poverty levels are we talking about in Yemen?
January 16, 2010. A member of Yemen’s counterterrorism police force directs an exercise in the mountains outside the capital Sana’a. The special unit is trained by US and British Special Forces. Everywhere seems to be running out of oil. Is Yemen’s case more pressing?
There are also problems with piracy, right?
What form of piracy is this? Is it the kidnapping and ransom type you hear a lot about in Somalia?
Is there any meaningful effort being made by the West or international organisations to try to avert any of these impending disasters?
If things were to continue as they currently are, how long do you give Yemen before it becomes a totally failed state?
Would a total collapse make the country an even better base for al-Qaeda operations?
