Peace Eludes Yemen
In an interesting turn of events, Yemen has seen a flicker of hope this week as the head of Yemen’s separatist movement, announced his willingness to take part in Saudi-brokered peace talks after the Aden coup. UAE backed southern separatist forces of Yemen had seized the presidential palace in Aden in severe fighting which led to 40 casualties sand more than 260 injured. The separatist leader Aidarus al Zubaidi said that the violence was provoked due to Abd’rabu Mansour Hadi’s forces’ attempted to assassinate the leaders of the Houthi movement and liquidate it. The announcement came in wake of Saudi Air strikes at Southern Transitional Council (STC) position in city of Aden. The UAE and Saudi Arabia have called on the pro-government Yemeni parties to hold talks next week to resolve recent tension in Aden.
The roots of the conflict goes back to the failed political transition following the Arab Spring uprising which compelled Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over power to his Deputy Hadi in 2011. Throughout its rule, the Hadi government remained stuck in resolving internal issues including jihadist attacks, the southern separatist movement, and the continuing loyalty of security personnel to Saleh, corruption, unemployment and food insecurity. This proved to be advantageous for the Houthi (Shia) rebels. With the help of the Yemeni citizens including Sunnis who were disillusioned with the transition process, the Houthis succeeded in gaining control over Saada, Sana’a and threatened to control the entire country.
Concerned with rise of a group believed to be backed by the regional rival Iran, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition against the rebels to support the Hadi government in 2015. Sunni Arab states including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco became part of the coalition while US and UK provided material support as external actors. The Saudi led coalition drove out the Houthis from South Yemen; however they continue to retain control over Sana’a. The launch of ballistic missiles towards Riyadh in 2017 led to the blockade of Yemen and Saudi Arabia set off an offensive on the rebel held port city of Hodeida.
The prolonged crisis has taken a huge toll on the Yemeni lives and this is reflected by international reports that say Yemen is the world’s most manmade humanitarian disaster. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report titled “2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Yemen”, mentions that 14.3 million people are classified as being in acute need of food including two million children under-five, and more than one million pregnant and lactating women. UN brokered a peace agreement in December 2018. The Houthis promised a two phase redeployment out of the city; however, no progress has been made so far on the redeployment.
Situated in the straits linking Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Yemen is significant for the region as well as the world, as it acts as a safe haven for Al Qaeda and ISIS when they are shunned from other parts of the region. The crisis fans the regional power struggle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Shia Iran. It has spanned out as a conflict within a conflict due to the complex nature of the crisis where Saudi backed government forces and UAE trained Security Belt Force of STC fight against the Shia Houthi rebels. Twenty percent of the world’s oil shipment passes through Bab al Mandeb straits and remains at risk due to the Yemen crisis.
Peace in Yemen is significant for India as the crisis has impacted India-Yemen relations. India relocated its embassy from Sana’a to Djibouti in 2015. Indian government issued an advisory banning Indians from travelling to Yemen. In 2015, India successfully implemented operation Raahat and evacuated around 4640 Indians and 960 foreign nationals of 41 countries by Air and Sea. India is engaged in aid and reconstruction activities and many Indians are engaged in humanitarian relief work in Yemen. India hopes for a peaceful Yemen. New Delhi has expressed keen interest in Yemeni’s petroleum and natural gas sectors.
The roots of the conflict goes back to the failed political transition following the Arab Spring uprising which compelled Ali Abdullah Saleh to hand over power to his Deputy Hadi in 2011. Throughout its rule, the Hadi government remained stuck in resolving internal issues including jihadist attacks, the southern separatist movement, and the continuing loyalty of security personnel to Saleh, corruption, unemployment and food insecurity. This proved to be advantageous for the Houthi (Shia) rebels. With the help of the Yemeni citizens including Sunnis who were disillusioned with the transition process, the Houthis succeeded in gaining control over Saada, Sana’a and threatened to control the entire country.
Concerned with rise of a group believed to be backed by the regional rival Iran, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition against the rebels to support the Hadi government in 2015. Sunni Arab states including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco became part of the coalition while US and UK provided material support as external actors. The Saudi led coalition drove out the Houthis from South Yemen; however they continue to retain control over Sana’a. The launch of ballistic missiles towards Riyadh in 2017 led to the blockade of Yemen and Saudi Arabia set off an offensive on the rebel held port city of Hodeida.
The prolonged crisis has taken a huge toll on the Yemeni lives and this is reflected by international reports that say Yemen is the world’s most manmade humanitarian disaster. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) report titled “2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview for Yemen”, mentions that 14.3 million people are classified as being in acute need of food including two million children under-five, and more than one million pregnant and lactating women. UN brokered a peace agreement in December 2018. The Houthis promised a two phase redeployment out of the city; however, no progress has been made so far on the redeployment.
Situated in the straits linking Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Yemen is significant for the region as well as the world, as it acts as a safe haven for Al Qaeda and ISIS when they are shunned from other parts of the region. The crisis fans the regional power struggle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Shia Iran. It has spanned out as a conflict within a conflict due to the complex nature of the crisis where Saudi backed government forces and UAE trained Security Belt Force of STC fight against the Shia Houthi rebels. Twenty percent of the world’s oil shipment passes through Bab al Mandeb straits and remains at risk due to the Yemen crisis.
Peace in Yemen is significant for India as the crisis has impacted India-Yemen relations. India relocated its embassy from Sana’a to Djibouti in 2015. Indian government issued an advisory banning Indians from travelling to Yemen. In 2015, India successfully implemented operation Raahat and evacuated around 4640 Indians and 960 foreign nationals of 41 countries by Air and Sea. India is engaged in aid and reconstruction activities and many Indians are engaged in humanitarian relief work in Yemen. India hopes for a peaceful Yemen. New Delhi has expressed keen interest in Yemeni’s petroleum and natural gas sectors.
Script: Dr. Lakshmi Priya, Research Analyst, IDSA
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