Nigeria Condemns Attacks on Saudi Arabia, But Where Was It During Yemen War? — Gembu

By Nasiru Hassan Yalwa 

A famous Nigerian writer and Middle East analyst, Mustapha Mohammed Gembu, has questioned what he describes as selective international condemnation of attacks on Saudi Arabia, arguing that the suffering of Yemenis during years of Saudi strikes deserves equal attention.

Gembu raised the question in a commentary dated Tuesday, October 13, 2026, following reports that Nigeria and several other countries had condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia.

He questioned why countries expressing concern over the attacks on Saudi Arabia had not shown the same level of concern over the deaths, hunger, displacement and destruction suffered by Yemeni people during the war involving the Saudi-led military coalition and against Ansarullah Houthis.

Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in Yemen in March 2015, leading a coalition that supported the Western-backed government against the Houthis who control over 70 percent of the country's population.

The conflict caused widespread humanitarian suffering, including deaths from direct violence and indirect causes such as hunger, disease and the breakdown of healthcare services.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the war was projected to have caused approximately 377,000 deaths by the end of 2021, including about 154,000 deaths directly attributable to fighting and violence and 223,000 resulting from indirect causes.

Gembu cited several deadly incidents associated with the Saudi-led coalition's air campaign, including the October 2016 bombing of a funeral gathering in Sana'a, the August 2016 airstrike on Abs Hospital and the August 2018 attack on a school bus in Dhahyan, Saada.

He argued that these incidents demonstrated the need for consistent international concern for civilian lives, regardless of the country or political interests involved.

The writer also questioned the role of Western countries that supplied weapons and military equipment to Saudi Arabia during the war on Yemen, arguing that international responses to violence should not be determined by political alliances or economic interests.

His comments come amid renewed hostilities involving Saudi Arabia and the Ansarullah Houthi fighters.

Recent reports have described deadly attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport, with casualties and renewed concerns about further escalation. The attacks have also raised the prospect of additional military involvement by the United States.

Gembu further disputed Saudi claims concerning threats to Mecca and Medina, arguing that the two holy cities should not be used to justify overlooking the suffering of Yemenis. His assertions about the intentions of the Ansarullah Houthis and their approach to the two cities were not independently established in his commentary.

Emphasising his position, Gembu said he condemned attacks on innocent civilians wherever they occurred but rejected what he described as selective condemnation that overlooked the suffering of one population while expressing sympathy for another.

“The lives of Saudi Muslims are not more valuable than the lives of Yemeni Muslims,” he argued.

He called on Nigeria and other countries to give equal consideration to the civilian casualties, humanitarian crisis and destruction associated with the Yemen conflict, stressing that justice should not depend on political alliances, military partnerships or economic interests.