IT IS a country considered so unsafe that the UK closed its embassy and will not help British nationals remaining there escape.
However, “heartless” immigration officials advise failed asylum seekers from Yemen to return to what remains of their devastated nation.
Now Alison Thewliss MP is challenging Home Secretary Theresa May to correct the discrepancy in policy and help the Yemenis live safely in the UK following appeals by constituents in central Glasgow.
In an official letter, she asked May: “I ask you, Secretary of State, why is it not safe for Glaswegians to go to Yemen but it is perfectly ok for our adopted Glaswegians to go there?”
The call follows a report by Westminster’s all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Yemen, which pinpointed 14 actions Westminster must take to stabilise the country and end the humanitarian crisis, considered by many international aid agencies as among the worst in the world.
Trouble began in 2004 and increased following the Arab Spring of 2011, which saw Yemenis protest against the government of Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Despite a transfer of power, that unrest descended into conflict along religious and tribal lines involving several parties, which escalated rapidly in March.
In August, Peter Maurer, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said destruction there after five months of war was similar to the damage done in Syria over five years.
Group chairman Keith Vaz MP wrote: “In the eyes of many observers, aid workers, and the Yemeni diaspora, Yemen is often seen as a forgotten conflict, not attracting the same international and public attention as comparable crises in the region.
“Yemen remains in critical need of emergency aid and humanitarian assistance.”
In a recent Westminster Hall debate, Thewliss told Tobias Ellwood, under-secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) his department’s approach to Yemen is “in complete contrast with that of decision makers in the Home Office”, adding: “They want to send people... back to a war zone, which is not acceptable.”
Yesterday, she told The National: “The UK government’s blatant hypocrisy on this issue has been laid bare for all to see.
“On one hand, we see the heartless Home Office continue to issue removal notices to vulnerable Yemenis, suggesting that they get on the next available plane to Sana’a.
“Yet on the other hand, we see a much more reasonable and pragmatic view from the Foreign Office who appear to understand, quite clearly, the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
“If the UK Government thinks Yemen isn’t safe enough for Glaswegians to go to, then it’s not safe for our adopted Glaswegians to go to.”
Thewliss is currently assisting one such “adopted Glaswegian”, left destitute after the Home Office rejected his asylum claim and evicted him from his flat.
The 40-year-old, who did not want to be named, arrived in the UK in 2009 from Sana’a, the former capital of Yemen now in the hands of Houthi rebels.
The pharmacist suffered persecution and torture and says a return to his homeland would mean death.
However, six years in the UK asylum system has left him struggling with depression and he now sleeps in night shelters and on the sofas and floors of friends after his support was removed.
Currently preparing a fresh asylum claim, he has exhausted his legal aid and his lawyer is now working pro bono as he works out how to reach Liverpool to deliver it to officials.
He told The National the Home Office treats asylum “like a game”, adding: “They say: ‘You had your chance and you were not lucky.’
“I want to be in Glasgow. My life has been here.
“Yemen is the battlefield. It is a complicated country with many divisions. You can buy a gun easier than a glass of water – how can there be peace in this country?
“I want to stay in the UK and make a normal life for myself like a human being. It’s freedom. I have temporary freedom now because I’m not in detention, but I’m not completely free.
“It is hard. If I was from another country I would go back. I’m in the system, but I’m on the street. For how long?”
Last night, the Home Office failed to respond to The National’s request for comment on the issues raised by Thewliss, including whether they acknowledge any discrepancy in policy and if any review of its guidance on Yemen will take place.
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