The civil war in Yemen is one of those obscure conflicts that feels as though it has been going on for ever. In the space of little more than three years, the conflict has become what the UN and aid agencies agree is the world’s worst man-made humanitarian disaster, with 16,700 civilians killed or wounded, 8.4 million people facing famine, a nation torn apart and an economy destroyed.

The killing of children, hit by missiles and shells smashing into their homes and schools or stricken by disease and malnutrition, has come to symbolise Yemen’s war. The UN’s latest Children and Armed Conflict report found that 1,316 children were killed or maimed in 2017. Just over half died in air attacks by the western-backed, pro-government coalition, and many others at the hands of Houthi rebels.

Yet perhaps most extraordinary, and dismaying, is the counter-productive response of the governments principally concerned. There has been intervention aplenty since 2015 – by the Saudis, the UAE, Iran, the US and the UK – but their actions have served to inflame the conflict, not extinguish it. In the very limited discussions about Yemen among national leaders at the UN last week, it was clear the conflict is getting worse, not better.

The collapse in Geneva of the latest UN-sponsored peace talks could trigger the war’s bloodiest chapter yet

August was the most violent month so far this year, with nearly 500 people killed in nine days, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). There has been a 164% spike in civilian deaths in the last four months, and this rate of attrition is expected to rise further amid the Saudi-led, pro-government coalition’s resumed offensive on the port of Hodeidah. Overall, since 2015, the coalition has launched 18,000 airstrikes, one-third of which are said to have hit non-military targets……………All of which leaves one possible ray of light for the suffering Yemenis. Last week more than 50 members of the US House of Representatives backed a bipartisan resolution invoking the 1973 War Powers Act, declaring that Congress never authorised US support for the coalition in Yemen, as it is legally bound to do under the act, and directing Trump to withdraw all American military personnel.

Action is also pending in the US Senate, where Bob Menendez – the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee – is blocking a $2bn arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. “Widespread destruction and disease [are] contributing to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. US-fuelled planes continue to drop US-made bombs on innocent victims,” said Democrat Ro Khanna, the House resolution’s lead sponsor. A showdown vote is expected after November’s elections.

Both moves are certain to be fiercely opposed by the Trump administration, which argues its military assistance and expertise reduces the number of civilian deaths. But both reflect growing public abhorrence at a series of atrocities, including a horrific bus bombing that killed dozens of children last month, which could implicate the US government and personnel in war crimes.

“The actions of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen are fast approaching the level of crimes against humanity,” said Democrat Jim McGovern. “The US must send a clear and unambiguous message to Saudi Arabia – their actions are unacceptable to the international community and will not be tolerated.”

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REU: First rebel group begins withdrawal from demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that rebel group Failaq al-Sham has started withdrawing its forces and heavy arms from a demilitarized zone in northwest Syria.

The group is the first to comply with a requirement to leave a demilitarized buffer zone set up by Turkey and Russia to avert a Russian-backed Syrian army offensive, Rami Abdulrahman, head of the UK-based war monitor told Reuters.

Rebel sources could not immediately be reached for comment.

VICE: Iraq’s Water Protests Have Left At Least 13 People Dead

BASRA, IRAQ — After months of violent demonstrations that saw thousands take to the streets and government buildings torched, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is describing the deadly protests in the southern city of Basra as a mere “political dispute.”

The comments came after at least thirteen demonstrators were killed and dozens more wounded in clashes with security forces as the violence escalated in the past week. The unrest has thrust Iraq into a major crisis at a time when politicians still have yet to agree on a new government after an inconclusive election in May.

The protesters first took to the streets earlier this summer in response to severe water shortages, water contamination, and frequent power outages. But people’s anger here goes beyond that. Iraq’s southern province is home to some of the world’s largest oil reserves — yet unemployment is soaring and public services are a mess.

“Down with al-Abadi and all his government!” one woman told VICE News during a visit to the city in late August. She was quickly drowned out by her fellow protesters, who began shouting, “No, no to Abadi!”

Decades of war has destroyed Iraq’s economy and its infrastructure — and temperatures soaring up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit this summer haven’t helped either.

For years, dams in Turkey, Syria, and Iran reduced the freshwater levels in Iraq’s two main rivers — the Tigris and Euphrates — to critically low levels. That’s allowed salty sea water to flood in from the Southern Persian Gulf, entering Basra’s canals and streams, turning the once fertile land into desert, and decimating farms. It’s also contaminated drinking water supplies, leading to thousands of people being hospitalized.

Like many in the city, protester Ahmed Hussein is unemployed.

“Let them just take all the oil,” Ahmed told VICE News. “We just want clean water. Just fix the salty water. We don’t want oil. We only need clean water to wash our hands and our faces. Iraqis need clean water!”

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NYT: A Social Media Star Is Shot Dead in Baghdad. Iraqis Fear a Trend.