Realized on assignment for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and National Geographic Magazine

The Arabia Felix, known since the time of the ancient Romans for its incense, myrrh and lucrative commercial trades, is now a distant memory as, above all, in Yemen today there is death, suffering and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

The ongoing conflict between the Houthi Shiite rebels supported by Iran and the Yemeni Sunni government supported by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has been going on for almost 4 years, causing the death of at least 10,000 people. Over two million have been displaced. In a nation of nearly 29 million, 22 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. For over two years the Ministry of Health has not been paying salaries and more than half of Yemen’s hospitals are closed or partly functioning. Yemen’s depleted health system relies on humanitarian organization to provide medical care, but the country is on the brink of famine. One third of the population is experiencing a severe lack of food; there are those who die at home of food poisoning caused by contaminated food, others who do not have access to safe drinking water. A report from Save the Children has found that, in the last 3 years, almost 85,000 children have starved to death as a result of Yemen’s civil war. In this context, civilians are enduring an inhuman situation, deliberately targeted by aerial bombardments, snipers, crossfire and stray bullets. Since the war began, 2,500 schools have been bombed, closed, used for military purposes, or turned into shelters. Currently two million school-age children are not enrolled in school. From Ad Dhale, a stronghold of the Salafi Resistance loyal to president Hadi, to the outskirts of Taiz, an ancient city in the Southwest under siege by the Houthi rebels for 3 years, my documentation aims to give an intimate look inside the country, where civil war has trapped civilians in a life of violence and disease.

A motorcyclist rides past an area strewn with garbage next to a school, destroyed by a Saudi-led coalition air-strike. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A motorcyclist rides past an area strewn with garbage next to a school, destroyed by a Saudi-led coalition air-strike. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Long lines to refill canisters are a common sight at gas stations. Since 2015 fuel prices have more than doubled and the country has lost more than 40 percent of its GDP. “The economic disaster is even worse than the killing,” says Radhya Almutawakel, co-founder of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, in Sanaa. “People are dying behind closed doors.” Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Long lines to refill canisters are a common sight at gas stations. Since 2015 fuel prices have more than doubled and the country has lost more than 40 percent of its GDP. “The economic disaster is even worse than the killing,” says Radhya Almutawakel, co-founder of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights, in Sanaa. “People are dying behind closed doors.” Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man walks through Ad Dhale, a southern city that has been fought over by Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government since the war began. In the background, a Kalashnikov monument honors the commander who fought off the Houthi. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man walks through Ad Dhale, a southern city that has been fought over by Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government since the war began. In the background, a Kalashnikov monument honors the commander who fought off the Houthi. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
32-year-old watchman Ali Abdullah is seen inside the gate of the Al-Nasser Hospital, where he checks people to prevent guns entering the building and Khat, a local drug used by most Yemenis. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
32-year-old watchman Ali Abdullah is seen inside the gate of the Al-Nasser Hospital, where he checks people to prevent guns entering the building and Khat, a local drug used by most Yemenis. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
In a dedicated ward of the Al-Nasser Hospital, babies are treated for malnutrition—they’re just two of the estimated 1.8 million acutely malnourished children under age five. Yemen’s depleted health ministry relies on humanitarian organizations to provide medical care. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
In a dedicated ward of the Al-Nasser Hospital, babies are treated for malnutrition—they’re just two of the estimated 1.8 million acutely malnourished children under age five. Yemen’s depleted health ministry relies on humanitarian organizations to provide medical care. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A father holds his baby at the Mother and Child Hospital after the child was treated for a respiratory infection. Doctors and nurses have fled Yemen, leaving hospitals stretched thin. “A lot of my colleagues have already left or are trying to travel to the Gulf states to find a better life,” says one Yemeni doctor working in Sanaa. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A father holds his baby at the Mother and Child Hospital after the child was treated for a respiratory infection. Doctors and nurses have fled Yemen, leaving hospitals stretched thin. “A lot of my colleagues have already left or are trying to travel to the Gulf states to find a better life,” says one Yemeni doctor working in Sanaa. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A chair on a terrace in the diplomatic area of the capital. Sana’a, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A chair on a terrace in the diplomatic area of the capital. Sana’a, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
28-year-old medical doctor Ahmad Moused is seen in the ER- Emergency room department of the Al-Nasser Hospital while examining the X-ray of 10-year-old Ciham Saif who was hit by gunshot. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
28-year-old medical doctor Ahmad Moused is seen in the ER- Emergency room department of the Al-Nasser Hospital while examining the X-ray of 10-year-old Ciham Saif who was hit by gunshot. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
7-year-old Tamer Abdu Haza’a hit by shrapnel from an explosion is treated by Doctors Without Borders in a trauma center in Taiz Houban. Taiz, an ancient city in southwest Yemen, has been under siege by the Houthi rebels for 3 years and has witnessed some of the heaviest and most sustained fighting since the beginning of the conflict. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
7-year-old Tamer Abdu Haza’a hit by shrapnel from an explosion is treated by Doctors Without Borders in a trauma center in Taiz Houban. Taiz, an ancient city in southwest Yemen, has been under siege by the Houthi rebels for 3 years and has witnessed some of the heaviest and most sustained fighting since the beginning of the conflict. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man in tears in the trauma center. He arrived with his cousin in pain and bleeding heavily with complex lacerations on both legs and penetrating abdominal injuries. She received 4 bottles of blood transfusion and was transferred to an other hospital. Luckily she survived, but both of her legs were later amputated. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A man in tears in the trauma center. He arrived with his cousin in pain and bleeding heavily with complex lacerations on both legs and penetrating abdominal injuries. She received 4 bottles of blood transfusion and was transferred to an other hospital. Luckily she survived, but both of her legs were later amputated. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Doctors and nurses at the Mother and Child Hospital trauma center stabilize 25-year-old Imar Abdu Najei, whose legs were maimed in an explosion while she hung laundry. After receiving four blood transfusions, she was transferred to another hospital, where both of her legs were amputated. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Doctors and nurses at the Mother and Child Hospital trauma center stabilize 25-year-old Imar Abdu Najei, whose legs were maimed in an explosion while she hung laundry. After receiving four blood transfusions, she was transferred to another hospital, where both of her legs were amputated. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
The safe room, used in case of emergency, inside the Doctors Without Borders' headquarter in Sana'a, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
The safe room, used in case of emergency, inside the Doctors Without Borders’ headquarter in Sana’a, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
7-year-old Tamer Abdu Haza’a hit by shrapnel from an explosion, is seen lying on a bed in the trauma center of the “Mother and Child” Hospital, while his father Abdu Haza and the medical team are taking care of him. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
7-year-old Tamer Abdu Haza’a hit by shrapnel from an explosion, is seen lying on a bed in the trauma center of the “Mother and Child” Hospital, while his father Abdu Haza and the medical team are taking care of him. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A night view of the trauma center's entrance, on the background the national flag of Yemen is hanging on the street. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A night view of the trauma center’s entrance, on the background the national flag of Yemen is hanging on the street. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
9-year-old Arzaa Abdalbaqu Abdella, with an open complex fracture on her right leg caused from shards from a rock, is seen in her mother’s arms inside the trauma center in Al Houban, a district of Taiz city. An average of five children have been killed or injured each day since the conflict began, according to UNICEF. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
9-year-old Arzaa Abdalbaqu Abdella, with an open complex fracture on her right leg caused from shards from a rock, is seen in her mother’s arms inside the trauma center in Al Houban, a district of Taiz city. An average of five children have been killed or injured each day since the conflict began, according to UNICEF. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A thobe or dishdasha, a white tunic commonly worn by all men in the Arabian Peninsula, hangs out to dry from a window. The distinctive architecture of the buildings in Sana’a is visible in the diplomatic area of the capital. Sana’a, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A thobe or dishdasha, a white tunic commonly worn by all men in the Arabian Peninsula, hangs out to dry from a window. The distinctive architecture of the buildings in Sana’a is visible in the diplomatic area of the capital. Sana’a, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
25-year-old Mohammed Naji is seen portrayed outside the Inpatient department (IPD) of the Al-Nasser Hospital, where he has been hospitalized for 20 days. He was at a wedding ceremony when suddenly a bullet falling from the sky hit his back and came out through his stomach. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
25-year-old Mohammed Naji is seen portrayed outside the Inpatient department (IPD) of the Al-Nasser Hospital, where he has been hospitalized for 20 days. He was at a wedding ceremony when suddenly a bullet falling from the sky hit his back and came out through his stomach. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Three goats are seen lying among the ruins of a building. In the background a minaret of the local mosque with a view of the city. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Three goats are seen lying among the ruins of a building. In the background a minaret of the local mosque with a view of the city. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A child is seen standing on a tyre in front of a makeshift shop in the street. About 18 million people in Yemen lack food, millions of people do not even have access to safe drinking water. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A child is seen standing on a tyre in front of a makeshift shop in the street. About 18 million people in Yemen lack food, millions of people do not even have access to safe drinking water. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Abadi Muthanna, 70, sits outside the Al-Nasser Hospital in Ad Dali with his pregnant 35-year-old wife, Iman. He suffers from high blood pressure and heart problems. Yemen's depleted health system relies on humanitarian organization to provide medical care. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Abadi Muthanna, 70, sits outside the Al-Nasser Hospital in Ad Dali with his pregnant 35-year-old wife, Iman. He suffers from high blood pressure and heart problems. Yemen’s depleted health system relies on humanitarian organization to provide medical care. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two men are searching for things to resell among the ruins of a school destroyed by a Saudi-led coalition air strike. Hundreds of schools like this one in Ad Dhale have been destroyed, currently two million school-age children are not enrolled in school. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two men are searching for things to resell among the ruins of a school destroyed by a Saudi-led coalition air strike. Hundreds of schools like this one in Ad Dhale have been destroyed, currently two million school-age children are not enrolled in school. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A view of Al Houban, controlled by the Houthis, an outskirt of Taiz city, now a battlefield enduring some of the heaviest fighting in the country. Many displaced persons live in this area, in a variety of conditions that range from unhygienic makeshift shelters to rental accommodation. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A view of Al Houban, controlled by the Houthis, an outskirt of Taiz city, now a battlefield enduring some of the heaviest fighting in the country. Many displaced persons live in this area, in a variety of conditions that range from unhygienic makeshift shelters to rental accommodation. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A young man stands in front of his little shop on the street while chewing khat and holding a plastic bag containing the same drug. Khat or Qat is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa, brought from Ethiopia to Yemen a few decades ago. The World Health Organization classified Khat as a drug of abuse that can produce psychological dependence; nevertheless its production, sale, and consumption are legal and widespread in Yemen. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A young man stands in front of his little shop on the street while chewing khat and holding a plastic bag containing the same drug. Khat or Qat is a flowering plant native to the Horn of Africa, brought from Ethiopia to Yemen a few decades ago. The World Health Organization classified Khat as a drug of abuse that can produce psychological dependence; nevertheless its production, sale, and consumption are legal and widespread in Yemen. Taiz, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two boys play among the ruins of a school destroyed by a Saudi-led coalition air strike in Ad Dhale. Since the war began, 2,500 schools have been bombed, closed, used for military purposes, or turned into shelters. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
Two boys play among the ruins of a school destroyed by a Saudi-led coalition air strike in Ad Dhale. Since the war began, 2,500 schools have been bombed, closed, used for military purposes, or turned into shelters. Ad Dhale, Yemen 2018. © Matteo Bastianelli
A cloud hovers over mountainous northern Yemen. North and south Yemen were unified in 1990, but the historical distinction still sparks conflict. Today the UN has declared Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. © Matteo Bastianelli
A cloud hovers over mountainous northern Yemen. North and south Yemen were unified in 1990, but the historical distinction still sparks conflict. Today the UN has declared Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. © Matteo Bastianelli

YEMEN UNVEILED (2018)