The Only Child Who Survived; The Eye Witness of Yemen

The wounded face of Buthaina, the only child of a family who survived an airstrike in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, has now become a symbol of the war and its deadly crisis in the country. The airstrike, reportedly carried out by the Saudi-led coalition, occurred ten days ago on August 25. She was at home in Sana'a with her family. At least 12 people were killed in this attack, and the Saudi-led coalition has stated it will investigate the allegations against it. In recent days, many people around the world have shared similar photos of themselves in response to an image of Buthaina struggling to open one of her eyes. The Yemen war, which pits Iranian-backed Houthis and their allies against supporters of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Saudi-led coalition, has left at least 10,000 dead since 2015. Millions have been displaced, and Yemen is on the brink of one of the worst cholera outbreaks in modern history. The United Nations has repeatedly called on the warring parties and the countries that support them to find a way to end the fighting and achieve peace. Meanwhile, as aid workers and activists call for an end to the battles, Buthaina Muhammad Mansour, a four to five-year-old girl who was the sole survivor of the August 25 airstrike, has become a symbol of the deadly war in Yemen on social media under the hashtag #EyeWitness. Reuters recounts Buthaina's story through a relative: Buthaina's father calls her uncles and says their neighborhood is under airstrikes. Munir, one of the uncles, rushes to Buthaina's house and does not return. From the text: 'I finally know. This is the result of war. She lost her entire family. She is looking for her mother.' Another uncle, Saleh, also arrives in the neighborhood. But what he witnesses are collapsed buildings and sounds coming from under the rubble. Saleh says, 'I heard one of the neighbors screaming from under the rubble. I tried to remove the debris from Buthaina's parents, but I couldn't... They died.' Those present managed to remove some of the rubble: 'First, we saw her brother, Ammar, and her four other sisters. For a moment, I paused and screamed in pain... When I resumed, I heard Buthaina's voice.' Buthaina, the only family member who survived, called for her uncle Munir when she regained consciousness in the hospital. She still did not know that her uncle was also no longer alive.