Forum: Joint Crisis Committee

Issue: Crisis

Student Officer: Albert Pan, Kay Zin, Nandar Khine Tun

Introduction

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a continuous crisis in which at least 8.4 million people on the brink of starvation, 22.2 million people require humanitarian assistance, and approximately 400,000 children under the age of five are in life-threatening situations due to acute malnutrition, according to the United Nations. The Yemen crisis began with an international coalition by that was interrupted. This was first ignited when the Yemenis protested against the then president, , who led the country to widespread poverty and unemployment. These rebellions were led by a politically Shia rebellion group called the Houthis. In 2012, the then Vice - , Hadi, became the new President after Ali Abdullah Saleh got overthrown. The intent of the political transition was to bring stability. However, President Hadi had difficulties addressing the issues of food insecurity, corruption, and militant attacks. Political unrest caused groups such as the Al Qaeda and Daesh to attempt to take over the country. At the same time, the Houthis were attempting to do the same, but was lacking military power. They somehow formed an alliance with Ali Abdullah Saleh, who they had kicked out of office. Saudi Arabia saw this alliance as a threat, because it meant that was backing the Houthis. This could raise the risk of Iranian influence affecting Saudi Arabia. This caused Saudi Arabia to create a wall and bombed Yemen in 2015 to drive the Houthis out. Almost ⅓ of the bombing targeted non-military zones, resulting in over 10,000 civilians’ deaths. In 2017, Saleh was killed by Houthi fighters.

Definition of Key Terms

Sunni: one of the two main branches of Islam, commonly described as orthodox, and differing from Shi’a in its understanding of the Sunna and in its acceptance of the first three caliphs (Google) ​ ​

Shi’a: one of the two main branches of Islam, followed by about a tenth of Muslims, especially in Iran, that rejects the first three Sunni caliphs and regards Ali, the fourth caliph, as Muhammad's first true successor (Google) ​ ​

Zaidi Shi’a: a branch of Sunni Muslim

Sanaa: the largest city and the national capital of Yemen, and has been the chief economic, political, and religious centre of the Yemen Highlands (Britannica) ​ ​

President Mansur Hadi: current president of Yemen who have taken office since February 27, 2012; a former ​ ​ Field Marshal of the Yemen Armed Forces (Google, Wikipedia) ​ ​

Houthi: a Zaidi sect made up of mostly Sunnis which also include minorities of Muslims which are members of Shia sects

Ansar Allah movement (also known as the ): an Islamic religious-political-armed movement that emerged from Sa’dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s as a rebellion towards the Yemeni military (Wikipedia) ​ ​

AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsulas): the biggest and most volatile branch of Al Qaeda

Sectarian: conflict arisen from the differences between subdivisions such as sects within a group ​

Daesh: "one who crushes (or tramples down) something underfoot",

History 19th Century Yemen

In the 19th century, the area that is now Yemen was occupied by the British Empire and the Ottoman Empire. When the Ottoman Empire collapse, the area was taken over by the Shias. In the 1960s, the British Empire engaged in a war against Egypt and Saudi Arabia who were allies with the US and the Soviet Union. As a result of this war, Yemen was created and was led by Ali Abdullah Saleh in 1978.

Arab Spring

The Arab spring was a pro-democracy uprising staged by several Muslim countries, such as Tunisia, , Syria, and Yemen. The Arab Spring began in the spring of 2011 and strived to heighten democracy and freedom in their respective countries. This event caused numerous civil wars within the countries and led to widespread conflict such as the and Libyan Civil War. The Arab Spring also directly caused the , which was what started the Yemen crisis. Protest from the civilians caused the then president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to resign from his position.

Key Issues

Famine

Yemen is said to be the poorest nation in the Arab World and is now dealing with the worst man made humanitarian crisis as described by the UN. Because of the war, ​ around two thirds of the entire population are food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance. Around 10 million people are at risk of starvation as well with severe acute malnutrition “threatening the lives of almost 400,000 children” under the age of five. ​

Save the Children estimates that 85,000 children with severe acute malnutrition may have died between April 2015 and October 2018. ​

Healthcare

Yemen’s infrastructure is in shambles with only half of the country's 3,500 health facilities fully functioning so they are unable to provide for the estimated 16 million people lacking basic healthcare. Furthermore, the outbreak of cholera in Yemen has resulted in more than 1.2 million suspected cases and 2,500 related deaths since April 2017. The country does not have sufficient resources or supplies to deal with this and therefore the cholera has claimed the lives of thousands of people.

Displacement of People

The conflict in the country has led many people to be displaced because of the concerns for their own safety and to seek for shelter and food. It is reported that around three million people have been displaced and the latest Humanitarian Needs Overview for Yemen stated that more than 5.4 million people require assistance with shelter, core relief items (CRIs) and in collective centres.

Political Instability & Armed Conflict

The conflict started because of the transition of power from Saleh to Hadi to bring stability to Yemen but ended up being counterintuitive. Mr. Hadi was unable to deal with the several issues that rose up during his presidential tenure such as “attacks by ​ jihadists, a separatist movement in the south, the continuing loyalty of security personnel to Saleh, as well as corruption, unemployment and food insecurity.” (BBC) All of these problems arose when the Houthi movement took advantage of the weak government to take control over large territories. The movement gained further traction with the support of the disillusioned ordinary Yemenis and forces loyal to Saleh in a bid to take control of Yemen. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia along with the other Arab states and the logistical support of the US and UK and France to restore Hadi’s government from the Houthi rebels. There are internal rifts among these warring parties: the alliance between forces loyal to Saleh and the Houthis collapsed after the disagreement over control of the biggest mosque in the capital , the Separatist rebels which combined forces

with Hadi’s troops now demanded the removal of prime minister Hadi because of corruption and mismanagement, and the Saudi led coalition has different views over who to back in Yemen. In light of all of this, the AQAP and IS terrorists seized control of ​ territories in the South and has launched its own attacks most notably in .

Major Parties Involved and Their Views

Houthi-Saleh alliance

The Houthi-Saleh alliance was an alliance of convenience after the launch of two air strikes by the Arab coalition in the home of Ali Abdullah Saleh. The alliance was formalized through the ​ ​ formation of the Supreme Political Committee (SPC). It was a temporary alliance of convenience in the time of the Saudi-led war.

Houthi Rebels

Houthis was founded by Hussain al-Houthi to construct an Islamic revolution formed on Zaydi principles.

The anti-Houthi bloc

The bloc consists of three parties: Southern separatists, Sunni Islamists, and regional/tribal fighters. The aim of the southern separatists is for Southern Yemen to gain independence. Sunni Islamists, with Islah as their main member, aims to govern Yemen. The regional/tribal fighters from Mareb and Al Jawf, Taiz defend their region.

Al Qaeda and the Islamic State

Although not part of the anti-Houthi bloc, Al Qaeda and the Islamic state have claimed to be anti-Houthi. AQAP, a branch of Al Qaeda, considers the war a chance to make itself known as being able to defend the Sunnis of Yemen by giving security and basic needs.

United States

The United States supports Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war. Some of the bombs used to bomb Yemen were made in the United States.

Russia

At the time in which Saudi-led coalition began their air strikes against Saleh and the Houthis, Russia’s stance was anti-Saudi. Putin had called for the “immediate cessation of military ​ activities in Yemen.”

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the leader of an internationally-backed coalition in the Yemen crisis with the purpose of “restoring legitimacy.” Saudi representatives have said that the coalition had been “accidentally responsible for casualties among children.”

Yemen

Due to the acts of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State jihadist groups, Yemen plunged into civil war and ​ humanitarian crisis. The north and west of Yemen were seized by the Houthis. Yemen was at a ​ “level-three emergency” according to the UN in 2015.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ​

UNICEF is providing basic needs--food, shelter, sanitation, education and health services--all throughout Yemen to help the children in need.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

The ICRC delivers basic needs, such as food, clean water, and household items, in Yemen. In 2017, the committee provided basic aid to 4 million people. The committee works with all parties involved and advocates for an end to hostilities.

Timeline of Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events

Date Description of Event

1994 - Civil war between North and South Yemen A brief civil war took place between the north and south Yemen which ended with the defeat of the southern army.

2000 - Border Deal with Saudi Arabia Ali Abdullah Saleh made a border deal with Saudi Arabia (Treaty of Jeddah) and attempted to disarm the Houthis.

2004 - Rebellion against the government of Yemen A rebellion against the Yemeni government took place, led by Hussein Badreddin Al-Houthi.

Houthis get arrested Hundreds of Houthi members were arrested by the government.

March - June 2005 - Surrender of the military commander of the Houthis Hussein Badreddin Al-Houthi’s brother, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi led a fight between the Houthis in which hundreds were killed. The fight ended when an agreement was reached and the top military commander of the Houthis surrendered.

March 2006 - Saleh wins elections Despite tension between the Houthis and the government, Saleh granted amnesty to Houthi fighters and won the elections.

January - June 2007 -Ceasefire between the Houthi Rebels and Saleh’s government A fight took place between the Houthi rebels and Saleh’s government until Qatar helped reach a ceasefire agreement.

2009-2010 - Operation Scorched Earth Operation Scorched Earth was launched by the Yemeni military to end the Houthi rebellion. A ceasefire agreement was reached between Saleh’s government and Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and the rebels.

April 2011 - The broker deal The president declined the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered deal to hand over power.

February 2015 - Houthis took control of Yemen government As declared by the United Nations, the Houthis took control of the government of Yemen. Hadi fled to Aden and cancelled his resignation.

March 2015 - Suicide bombings Two suicide bombings took place at Shia mosques in Sanaa. Parts of Taiz were annexed by the Houthis.

March 2015 - Operation Decisive Storm The Operation Decisive Storm began in Yemen.

April 2015 - Operation Restoring Hope The Operation Restoring Hope took place attempt to put an end to the Operation Decisive Storm.

April 2015 - Condemnation of Security Council resolution

The UN Security Council resolution that disarms the Houthi fighters was condemned, seeing it as an act of aggression.

May 2015 - Attendance of two states at GCC meeting A GCC meeting was held to solve the Yemen crisis but the attendance only consisted of leaders from two states.

October 2016 - May 2017 Peace talks and resolutions by the UN The United Nations attempted to arrange peace talks and resolutions. The Houthis took responsibility of the missiles fired into Saudi Arabia.

May 2017 - November 2017 One of the worst humanitarian crisis The crisis was considered one of the worst humanitarian crisis, given that thousands were starving, wounded, or dead. Outbreak of cholera led to the death of 2100 people and affected almost 900,000 people.

November 2017 - Missile in Saudi Arabia A missile fired at the airport of Saudi Arabia was obstructed.

January 2018 - Aden seized control Aden was seized by Southern Yemeni separatists with the support of the United Arab Emirates.

November 2018 - Ceasefire by the US The US calls for a ceasefire in Hudaydah port. ​

Evaluation of Previous Attempts to Resolve the Issue

There have been number attempts to resolve this issue, especially by the United Nations. In 2016, there was an attempt to arrange a negotiation, which was sponsored by the UN, to establish peace in Yemen. However, this failed as fighting continued between the two

forces. The Houthi rebels rejects a resolution from the UN that aimed to stop the conflict. Again in 2018, there was another attempt at trying to establish peace in Yemen. The UK drafted a resolution that “calls for an immediate truce in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah and guarantees of safe delivery of food and medicine.” Saudi Arabia and the UAE strongly opposed the resolution. Therefore, the peace talks once again ended in failure. To this day the fighting continues in Yemen.

Possible Solutions

The Stockholm agreement drafted by the UN which deals mainly with the ceasefire of Hodeida and the withdrawal of rival forces from the quintessential port has been signed off by the Yemen government and the Houthi rebels. The resolution is being implemented with a further resolution in the works offering UN assistance to oversee implementation and to ensure a smooth transition. This is but a crucial first step to build confidence among the rival parties and the UN.

Diplomacy is the best way to solve this civil war and for this to happen, the international coalition led by Saudi Arabia could take a step back from their assaults to solve the man made humanitarian crisis and to progress further within the talks. Further talks moderated by the UN will have to be set up to be able make any attempts at solving the conflict. Either backing the Saudi-Yemeni coalition or the Iran backed Houthi rebels is not the smart move since choosing either side would only escalate this proxy war and cause Yemen to further deteriorate. Therefore, a ceasefire between these two forces have to be agreed when peace talks begin to happen to ensure that there are no more casualties in war and attempts can be made to solve the humanitarian crisis. A joint military operation should be considered after a central government which both parties can agree to is established so that the threat of the AQAP, which gained power in the south during the turmoil, can be dealt with.

Another means towards achieving peace within the country is to unite them with their religious interests for Islam. The religion strongly believes in loving one another and forgiveness

so if these values could be instilled within these two different Islam groups through an outside third party acting as a mediator, it could be considered as a possible solution to end the conflict.

Works Cited

Al Jazeera and agencies. “Yemen's Saleh Declares Alliance with Houthis.” Operational Portal, ​ ​ The UN Refugee Agency, 11 May 2015, data2.unhcr.org/en/news/10023.

Al Jazeera. "Yemen peace talks in Kuwait end amid fighting." GCC News | Al Jazeera. 07 Aug. 2016. Al Jazeera. 18 Feb. 2019 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/yemen-peace-talks-collapse-fighting-intensifies -160807042106210.html

“Crisis in Yemen Designated ‘Level 3’ Emergency.” Yemen, World Health Organization, July ​ ​ 2015, www.emro.who.int/yem/yemen-news/crisis-in-yemen-designated-level-3-emergency.html.

Editors, History.com. "Arab Spring." History.com. 10 Jan. 2018. A&E Television Networks. 18 Feb. 2019 https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/arab-spring#section_6 ​ Montgomery, Marcus. “A Timeline of the Yemen Crisis, from the 1990s to the PresentACW.” Arab Center Washington DC, ACW, 7 Dec. 2017, ​ arabcenterdc.org/policy_analyses/a-timeline-of-the-yemen-crisis-from-the-1990s-to-the-pres ent/.

“Saudi Arabia Must Halt Air Strikes in Yemen, Says UN Panel | UN News.” UN News, United ​ ​ Nations, 11 Oct. 2018, news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1022852.

Snyder, Stephen. “Here's How You Can Send Help to People Surviving in the World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis.” Public Radio International, PRI's The World, 29 Nov. 2017, ​ ​ www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-29/heres-how-you-can-send-help-people-trapped-worlds-worst- humanitarian-crisis. ​

Stratfor. "The Latest Failed Attempt at Peace Talks Means More of the Same in Yemen." Stratfor. 17 Sept. 2018. Stratfor. 18 Feb. 2019 https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/latest-failed-attempt-peace-talks-means-more-same -yemen University of Zurich. “Yemeni Civil War.” UZH - MUN Team University of Zurich, Universität ​ ​ Zürich, 2 July 2017, www.mun.uzh.ch/en/session/Past-Sessions/yemenicivilwar0.html. ​ ​

"Yemen Fast Facts." CNN. 14 Dec. 2018. Cable News Network. 18 Feb. 2019 https://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/10/world/meast/yemen-fast-facts/index.html

“Yemen: Key Players and Prospects for Peace.” Chatham House The Royal Institute of ​ International Affairs, 17 Nov. 2015, ​ www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/events/2015-11-07-yemen-key-players-prospects- peace-meeting-summary_4.pdf. ​

"Yemen: The civil war and how it came about." RTE.ie. 20 Oct. 2018. RTÉ. 18 Feb. 2019 https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2018/1019/1005376-yemen-conflict-explainer/ “Yemen | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, news.un.org/en/focus/yemen. ​ ​ “Yemen: Tackling the World's Largest Humanitarian Crisis | UN News.” United Nations, United ​ ​ Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1020232.