Scots Mum Escapes War-Torn Yemen

A Scottish expat has been evacuated from the Middle East after urgent appeals for help.

Louise Henderson, 49, worked as a teacher at the international school in the Yemeni capital Sana'a for 27 years.  Bombing intensified in 2014, when Sectarian militants took control of the area. 

She has been evacuated to Fife with her two daughters, Miriam, aged 11 and Ayesha, 9. Her husband and 21 year old son are still there. They hope to sell their house and move to Scotland when peace returns.

Explosions

Louise and her family became trapped for seven weeks as bombs rained down:

 Louise with her daughters Ayesha, 9 and Miriam, 11

As Louise and her family were trapped in the basement of their house in Sana'a their passports expired, leaving them unable to escape. Flights were grounded and British embassy staff left the country. She was rescued by the International Organization for Migration, who arranged for flights and emergency passports:

Humanitarian crisis

Iranian-backed Houthi militants took control of Sana'a in September last year. This prompted a military response from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, who launched air strikes on the area. Food and fuel supplies in Yemen are dwindling and electricity is scarce. Louise says the Yemeni people need assistance urgently, but it could take "10 or 20 years" for the country to recover from the bombings:

 Louise Henderson spoke to Kingdom FM News reporter Steve McCaul