Yemenis stranded in Mumbai struggle for a breathing space

Even as their country is engulfed in a bitter civil war, hundreds of Yemenis stranded in Mumbai face no less a harrowing time. Upto 124 of them are staying in cramped conditions at a jamat khana (a place for religious gatherings) in the narrow alleys of Masjid Bunder. While up to 70 men are housed on the third floor of Kutchi Loharwada Sunni Muslim Jamat, 50 women and four children are struggling for breathing space on the second floor.

A flight of stairs splattered with paan stains leads one to the second floor. The passage way, flanked by small doors on both sides, is so narrow that there is barely any space to walk. 45-year-old Khadija Abdullah breathes with great difficulty in a 60-sq.ft room, which she shares with three other women. Khadija came to Mumbai in February this year, with her female friend Halima Aslam. She suffers from a cancerous tumour on the left side of her neck and has been seeking treatment with Prince Aly Khan Hospital in Mazgaon for the past three years now. She looks exasperated and worried all the time. When prodded, Khadija says she wants to return to her 17-year-old daughter Amani in the port city of Aden, which is at the heart of dangerous battle. “I visit Mumbai every year for follow-up treatment. I was expecting to fly back to Aden in the third week of March, but all outbound flights to Yemen were cancelled by third week of March as the war ensued,” said Khadija.

On Friday, they were shifted to this jamat khana from a fairly airy dormitory at Sorathiya Gaachi Trust, which had to be vacated for a wedding. On Saturday, as the sweltering heat made it difficult for the residents to breathe, the officials from the Consulate General of Republic of Yemen, decided to shift some families to low-budget hotels. “We have been able to arrange six hotel rooms and have moved as many families. But what about others? They are staying in the most pathetic conditions,” said Abdul Noor, an official from the visa department at the consulate here.

Up to 3,500 Yemeni nationals are stuck in India for over a month now, said Fouad Mohamed Mahyoob, consul general of the Republic of Yemen. They suffer from ailments of the kidney, heart, bones and different types of cancer. Of these, 450 people are in Mumbai while the rest are spread across Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Aurangabad and Ahmedabad. Of those living in the city, over a hundred are housed at a jamat khana in Masjid Bunder while the rest are lodged in hotels. “Up to 90 per cent of Yemenis in India are medical patients. They had arrived in the city over a month ago for medical care. Over the past two weeks, they have been visiting the consulate. They desperately want to go back home to their families. They have been coming in hordes and creating a ruckus at the consulate. We have decided to keep the consulate shut temporarily. Our people, however, are in touch with Yemenis across the city and are aiding them,” said Mahyoob. The consulate office has been closed since Thursday, said security guards in the Maker Towers complex at Cuffe Parade.

Most of the Yemenis stranded here in Mumbai have run out of money. With the banks closed back home, their families are not being able to send money here. 28-year-old Nasser Abdullah Alahdin has come to Mumbai with his mother Aisha Ahmed, 48, and wife Samaa, 23. Samaa suffers from stomach cancer and has undergone chemotherapy sessions in India thrice. While Alahdin is tending to his wife in Mumbai, his two daughters – Rahaf (1) and Hannah (3) – are in Yemen with his second wife. All day long, Nasser stares at their pictures on his cellphone. “I think of my family all the time and worry for their safety. With Western Union and Money Express stopping international cash transfers, I have run out of money. I don't know how to fend for myself or my folks here,” said Nasser.

The elders staying at the jamat khana are discussing the political turbulence back home in a sombre mood. “Last we had witnessed a civil war was in 1994, when South and North Yemen were on the verge of being divided. The Saudi Arabians had intervened then to resolve a conflict that had lasted for 70 days. Twenty years on, the Saudis along with other allies have launched an attack on the entire Yemen. We believe that the heart of the conflict is to establish supremacy over the port of Aden from where 80 percent of the world trade is governed,” said Abdul Momin (60), a businessman and resident of Aden.

Each one of them wants to return back to their homeland irrespective of the bloody war that has been ensuing in Yemen since close to a month now. “Our families back home tell us that dead bodies of civilians are strewn on the road and that there is nobody to pick them up. Dogs are eating the carcasses. There is neither any food or water nor any electricity or gas in Yemen. Even then, we would rather prefer to go back and die with our families in Yemen than stay back in a foreign country. We cannot stay in India, when our children are suffering back home. We appeal to the Indian government as well as other countries to find some solution to help us return back,” said Momin.

Members of All India Milli Council (AIMC) in Mumbai are helping the Yemeni citizens by arranging food and shelter for them in the city. They incur expenses of nearly Rs one lakh daily. “We appeal to the Union government to help the stranded Yemeni citizens. We want to work out prospects where the Indian government can provide these Yemenis with a refugee status and tend to their food, accommodation and medicines,” said Sayyed Abdul Rehman, convenor of AIMC, Maharashtra.

Even in distress, not all is lost for Yemenis in Mumbai. An air of conviviality and friendliness thrives in the atmosphere. They serve cupfuls of black tea to everyone who comes to help them and later urge their Indian friends to stay back with them for dinner. Bowlfuls of food arrive at the communal table, which is encircled by everyone in a huddle. As bitefuls of the meal are eaten together in large common steel plates, all woes are forgotten, even if but for a moment. 

How to help
Up to 3,500 Yemeni nationals are stranded in India in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Of these, close to 450 are in Mumbai. They are in dire need of proper accommodation, food and medical services. Those wanting to extend a helping hand can contact the Public Relations Officers at the Consulate General of the Republic of Yemen in Mumbai. 

PRO Nashwan Aboali - +91 - 9004638399 
PRO Abdul Noor - +91-9768603286 
email: nashwanaboali@gmail.com