Asmaa Waguih | Unfinished War: A Journey through Civil War in Yemen
From Unfinished War: A Journey through Civil War in Yemen. Courtesy of the artist, © Asmaa Waguih.
Written by Alexander Loukopoulos
Asmaa Waguih grants the world access to the lives of countless Yemenis impacted by the ongoing civil war and the humanitarian crisis it has caused.
For the past nine years, the Republic of Yemen has been engaged in a brutal civil war with the Houthis, a Shia Islamist political and military organization. From its inception in 2014, the war has drawn attention, as well as American and European involvement, for being labeled a proxy war and major strategic battleground between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Almost a decade's worth of fighting has also caused one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time, with millions of Yemenis being deprived of food, water, electricity and medical supplies. Despite all of this, the Houthi plight has been referred to as ‘the forgotten war’, with international media coverage shifting heavily towards the wars in Ukraine and Gaza in recent years.
From Unfinished War: A Journey through Civil War in Yemen. Courtesy of the artist, © Asmaa Waguih.
That does not change the fact that the war wages on. Nor does it change who has actually been forgotten amidst all the chaos: the people of Yemen. Their unshakeable resilience is the focus of photojournalist Asmaa Waguih’s new book, Unfinished War: A Journey Through Civil War in Yemen. Over 150 full color photographs document the country of Yemen since 2016 and the effect war has had on its people.
From Unfinished War: A Journey through Civil War in Yemen. Courtesy of the artist, © Asmaa Waguih.
To Waguih, Yemenis come first - their culture, land, and customs. Whatever side of the conflict they align themselves with comes second to Waguih’s desire to portray Yemenis simply as they are: “Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,200 meters, Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, is surrounded by several mountains but its most notable is Al-Nahdeen to the south of the city … Inside Sana’a, militiamen, many just youngsters, roamed the city wearing a mix of military jackets and the traditional Yemeni Mi’waz.” The results range from the mundane to the playful to the alarming - an expected mixture from a country with such a rich and complex history. Her egalitarian approach to capturing the situation is refreshing, considering an abundance of politicized coverage concerned with answering questions about allegiances and the interests of the major powers involved.
From Unfinished War: A Journey through Civil War in Yemen. Courtesy of the artist, © Asmaa Waguih.
This is not to say that Waguih shies away from combat. “It wasn’t easy to reach the front line but many times I got help from the local fighters. Tareq’s forces appeared to be the best trained as they used to be part of the regular army during the former regime and they accepted journalists, unlike the Salafists members who were fighting fiercely but were cautious of the media.” After years of fighting, the line between war and daily routine has blurred, forming a lifestyle for many average Yemenis that teeters between elements of both. Waguih captures how members of local tribes have slowly evolved into small, tightly-knit militias intent on playing an active role in shaping their country’s future. For many Yemenis, the war is just as much about religion as it is politics, further strengthening their fervor for taking up arms.
From Unfinished War: A Journey through Civil War in Yemen. Courtesy of the artist, © Asmaa Waguih.
The next steps for Yemen are uncertain. International and local powers continue to vie for dominance in a theater where even major alliances are fractured at best. But Unfinished War: A Journey Through Civil War in Yemen is a breath of fresh air in a thick cloud of dust, an oasis in a desert that stretches on for miles. Relief can always be found in the humanity we hold close, especially in the face of those forces that seek to strip us of it. Waguih records that humanity in its many forms, allowing readers to recontextualize this dire situation and once again bring it back to the public eye.
