“The war stole my dreams”
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YMER+Aya Khaled Aqlan, a 24-year-old Yemeni journalist and TV and radio presenter, recounts how the conflict in Yemen has turned her life upside down, forcing her to leave everything behind to seek refuge in Egypt.
"The war has affected everyone in the country, not to mention journalists and reporters. I used to be able to travel really easily from one governorate to another as a reporter in the field, but also for my work with civil society organisations.
The war has changed everything. Travel has become extremely difficult, with long and bumpy roads taking more than seven hours. I was soon limited as to where I could travel. With the security situation being such a concern, it became impossible to continue our work. "The war has changed everything."And then the harassment and the kidnapping and death threats began.
I carried on working in complete secrecy, but the harassment and the censorship just got worse. I was eventually forced to leave my home, my studies and my work behind in the capital, Sana'a, and to move away from the Houthi-controlled areas.
I travelled to the Taiz Governorate, where political and partisan rivalries are also rife: If you're not with me, you're against me.
Working as I do as a freelance journalist, it wasn't a conducive environment to continue working and spreading the truth... As a result, I was forced to leave Yemen and to start all over again in Egypt.
The war stole my biggest dreams and took the precious lives of my relatives and colleagues, who were victims of this conflict. Many journalists remain in prison without charge. Because of the war, I'm also viewed with suspicion wherever I go for my work, as if I were a spy.
Women and children are the worst affected. Through my work, I try to shine a light on women's stories. I'm currently working to set up a platform dedicated to Yemeni women journalists who have been forced to leave Yemen. The platform will be launched with a film telling their stories and showing their suffering and the reason why they left their country.
An online radio station and news website will also be launched."
Aya Khaled Aqlan is a beneficiary of the YMER+ (Yemen Media Emergency Response) project, an EU-funded initiative implemented by CFI in association with the ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism) network.
