Qazwan Tarbosh fears Yemen war will prevent final reunion with parents
A Yemeni Australian hasn't seen his parents in 16 years; renewed warfare makes reunion increasingly unlikely.
Qazwan Tarbosh has not hugged his mother and father since 2010. Tarbosh's parents, now in their 70s, live outside Taiz, one of Yemen's hardest-hit cities.
A major Houthi offensive this month collapsed a four-year ceasefire, triggering intense fighting, Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks across multiple fronts. Since early September, more than 130,000 people have been forced from their homes.
Roads between Tarbosh's parents and nearby towns, once an hour's journey, now take up to 10 hours due to checkpoints and insecurity. He worries they cannot access food, clean water or medicine.
Tarbosh sends money when he can and speaks to his mother despite how the calls distress them both; he sometimes limits contact. He told SBS News: "I want to see them before I lose them."
- 16 years since last contact in 2010
- Years separated
- More than 130,000 since early September
- People displaced
- Outside Taiz, Yemen
- Parents' location
- One hour journey now takes up to ten hours
- Travel time increase
Why it mattersThe conflict is displacing hundreds of thousands; Australians with family trapped there face impossible choices between contact that hurts and silence that worries them.
AustraliaThousands of Australians have relatives in Yemen. As fighting spreads, the UN warns up to 10,000 more people could flee across the Red Sea if the war continues.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 14 h ago
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