The cycle of violence that has plagued Yemen and taken millions of life is rooted in the history of its establishment and colonisation. It is one of the oldest centres of civilisation in the Near East and was once a great trading centre filled with all the riches a kingdom could ask for. Its strategic location allowed it to conquer wars and dominate the Middle East for centuries in some sort of harmony. After being introduced to Islam in 630CE and joining the Muslim Realm, its allies grew stronger and the kingdom augmented in power and riches. However, since its booming era, it has long been victim to greed and power plays that has resulted in the deaths of many citizens and has left many others vulnerable.
The country has had a long history of wars and deaths that began with the Ottomans in the 1500s. Yemen has been split in civil wars since the 17th century as a result of British imperialization, these wars have weakened its developments and further enforced capitalism, discrimination and greed.
In a period of power for England (1839), the southern area of Yemen was taken under British rule as a major refuelling port. This created a clear divide between North and South Yemen, the North being ruled by Imam Yahya and the south heavily influenced by western cultures, slowly wiping out Islamic ideologies. In 1984 Imam Yahya was assassinated for preaching the words of Islam, angering his followers and creating a further divide as his son Ahmad continued to fight off opponents in the south. In 1962, Imam Ahmad passed away, leaving the empire vulnerable as army officers seized power and set up the Yemen Arab Republic. Their ‘radicalised’ movement sparked civil wars between royalists supported by Saudi Arabia in the North and Republicans backed by Egypt.
In the 1990s, an uneasy unity was formed between the two divided groups of Yemen under the rule of President Saleh. However, a long history of hatred between the two groups remained with whispers of uprisings tormenting the country. The peace that President Saleh created was short-lived as the Houthi insurgency began to rise in both supporters and power. In 2004, just two years after the Al-Qaeda attacks in Aden, Hussein al-Houthi led a battle in the north, killing hundreds of civilians. This was just the start of the Houthi movement.
On January 27th, 2011, anti-government protests erupted and took a violent turn. Later that year, President Saleh was attacked and injured during an attack causing him to seek refuge in Saudi Arabia.
Long-time authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh was to hand over the power to Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, a political transition that wrought nothing but havoc. With his newly found power, President Hadi was unable to bear the responsibilities of attacks by jihadists, corruption within his own government, unemployment and food insecurity. Many radicalised movements took advantage of the instability that rocked under Yemen’s already unstable ground.
The Houthi movement (previously known as Ansar Allah), part of the Shia Muslim minority were largely to blame as they created a series of uprisings against the previous president and took advantage of President Hadi, taking control of the northern heartland of Saada province and neighbouring areas. The Houthi movement fought to overthrow the government and called upon an end to Western influence in Yemen.
In February 2015, the Houthis appointed a council to replace Hadi in a bid for power. With the newly found power, the Houthis push to overthrow the government in many violent strikes, ruling the streets with guns and missiles. Those who supported Saleh remained indifferent and vulnerable until May 2015 where Saleh formally announced an alliance with Houthis in an attempt to resolve the violence cursed upon his country. However, two years later Saleh was reportedly killed by the Houthis.
Whilst it began as a mere civil war, the involvement of international relations with the intention of gaining more money, land, alliances and power, has increased casualties and created further destruction. Saudi Arabia for one has heavily influenced the wars in Yemen, leading a coalition of nine other countries in attempts to dislodge the Houthis from most of Yemen’s population centres. In March 2020, the UN has verified the deaths of at least 7,700 civilians which have been largely caused by Saudi-led coalition strikes. The involvement of oil fields in the war have left countries angered and has stimulated international affiliations and further escalation of the civil war. In November 2017, Riyadh was attacked by a series of missiles, prompting further involvement from Saudi Arabia. In July 2019, a key ally in Saudi’s coalition, backed out after receiving international criticism. The UN has attempted to step in and minimise casualties many times but have not received the international funding required to do much impact and has since warned that the Coronavirus epidemic that has scoured the world could ‘exceed the combined toll of war, disease and hunger over the last five years’. Whilst the Saudi coalition has done as much as they can to help with the epidemic, the Houthi group continues to be responsible for more deaths and casualties.
Many of the more privileged countries such as the US have been involved, providing intelligence, logistical support and funding to find a resolution. However, with the war dragging on, the Trump administration has been accused and called out for not being more involved in finding a resolution. With the resources that they have, backing the Saudi coalition will not be enough and as the death toll continues to rise, developed countries have been called to step in with hesitance.
Since the beginning of the war with the Houthis, at least 10,000 citizens have been killed and 43,000 injured including 3,200 children. Millions have been displaced and left vulnerable.
12 million children have had little to nothing to eat for their entire life.
24 million people have been neglected by the world as they suffer an endless cycle of violence at the hands of the privileged and greedy.
14 million people are at risk of starvation and repeated outbreaks of deadly diseases.
An unimaginable number of parents have had to bury their children. Innocent children have had to suffer with no resources to protect themselves. In present day Yemen, they are suffering from the world-wide pandemic with little to no resources. Children vulnerable to deadly diseases such as HIV are left neglected with little food to defend themselves with. The mainstream media has failed the children of Yemen and with the currently spreading virus coupled with a non-existent healthcare system, the citizens of Yemen are unable to dream of tomorrow.
More on the issue:
Breaking the Cycle of Failed Negotiations in Yemen by Nadwa Al-Dawsari
Yemen News: Al-Jazeera
Links to help:
UNICEF | Yemen Crisis
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