DAWN – Seventeen years ago, I embarked on a journey as a journalist, driven by a desire to uncover the complexities of Yemen, my homeland, for an international audience. Over the years, I have witnessed the ebb and flow of Yemen’s tumultuous history—uprisings, wars, humanitarian crises—and with each event, I have found myself grappling not just with the challenges of reporting on the country, but also with the glaring inconsistencies in how the world perceives Yemen.

Time and again, I have seen international narratives reduce my country to a chessboard for global powers, sidelining the intricacies of Yemen’s internal struggles and the voices of its people. The lack of comprehensive and contextual reporting, the marginalization of Yemeni voices in favor of outside ones, and the unbalanced focus on external actors without equal attention to internal dynamics and accountability all contribute to misunderstanding and misinformation. Those narratives eventually shape policies, influence public opinion and ultimately determine whose suffering is deemed worthy of attention.

I was born into a Yemen that was already making global headlines—but never on its own terms. During

Read more…