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Aiding the Internally Displaced People and Refugees of Yemen

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Aiding the Internally Displaced People and Refugees of Yemen UMUNC 2020 Issue Brief for Arab League Aiding the Internally Displaced People and Refugees in Yemen ODU Model United Nations Society Introduction: Yemen’s IDPs and Refugees The war in Yemen remains the worst on-going conflict today. Houthi rebel forces control much of the country and regularly attack shipping in the Red Sea and cities in Saudi Arabia with long-range ballistic missiles. The Said-led Arab coalition continues to bomb Yemeni targets, with little concern for civilian casualties and displacement. Yemen’s conflict is by far one of the worst humanitarian crises ever. The United Nations (UN) reported that Yemen has the most people in need of humanitarian aid in the world. At least 14 million Yemenis, out of a total population of approximately 28 million, are feared to be in danger of immediate starvation. Malnutrition and malnutrition-related diseases already are the greatest threat to life there.1 The number of displaced people is greater than the total for Syria today, greater than Iraq at its The internationally recognized government of worst in 2006-07, and worse than the total Yemen is led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur displaced during World War Two. Hadi. It controls some of the south and much of the east of the country. The overwhelmingly As the Yemeni government battles the Houthi Shi’ite Houthi (Ansar Allah or Supporters of rebels in the on-going civil war, the citizens God) control most of the north of the country. continue to deal with numerous human rights Other major Yemeni factions in the fighting violations. Complicating the matter is the include The Southern Transitional Council involvement of regional powers such as the Iran, (STC), a Sunni coalition based in Aden, when Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates possible, dedicated to South Yemen and the United States. While most governments independence, but currently cooperating with the recognize the legitimacy of the Government of Government of Yemen. In addition to the Houthi Yemen, Iran recognizes the rival Houthi rebel movement, there is an important faction of government.2. Al Qaeda (the group responsible for the 2000 1 Margaret Besheer, ‘UN: 14 Million Yemenis Could Soon 2 ‘Arab League condemns Iran for handing Yemen embassy Be at Risk of Starvation’, Voice of America, 24 October to Houthis’, Arab News, 21 November 2019, 2018, https://www.voanews.com/a/un-14-million-yemenis- https://www.arabnews.com/node/1587481/middle-east could-soon-be-at-risk-of-starvation/4626363.html Aiding the Internally Displaced People and Refugees in Yemen bombing of the destroyers USS Cole in Aden international treaties. IDPs remain in their home and the 11 September bombings in the United country and are only protected by domestic law. States), in the east of the country. Foreign forces in the conflict include armed forces from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, intelligence, refueling and drone strike assistance from the United States, and Iranian support for the Houthis. Mercenaries from Somalia and Sudan play a major role in the fighting, too. Religious division of Yemen Over 200,000 Yemenis have fled Yemen into surrounding countries, including Oman and Saudi Arabia, becoming official international refugees. Although neighboring countries are not unstable, their own economic systems are not capable of housing the Yemeni refugees. Over 5 million Yemeni are internally displaced Since the start of the war back in March 2015, (IDPs), forced from their homes, struggling to the country’s entire health system has been survive, but without the protection of formal destroyed, thousands of citizens have been refugee status. The international community can killed, and millions are at in risk of famine. UN do much less to help the IDPs normally, since assistance reaches some 8 million people, but they remain under the sovereign authority of aid is inadequate and spasmodic, subject to the their national government. A series of UN fluctuations of the battlefield and the parties to Security Council resolutions called for 3 the conflict on the ground. commitment to the peace process to end the war and asked all parties in the conflict to do as The problem of homeless Yemenis is divided much as possible to help the displaced into international refugees and Internally population.4 But the government of Yemen is Displaced Persons (IDPs). Refugees, who moved to other countries, have rights under 3 Ibid. on-yemen-peace-process; ‘Security Council Authorizes 4 ‘Foreign Secretary welcomes adoption of new UN Immediate Deployment of Advance Team to Monitor Force Security Council resolution on Yemen peace process,’ Withdrawals, Ceasefire in Yemen, Adopting Resolution United Kingdom Foreign Office, 21 December 2018, 2451 (2018)’, UN News Centre, 21 December 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary- https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sc13643.doc.htm welcomes-adoption-of-new-un-security-council-resolution- 2 Aiding the Internally Displaced People and Refugees in Yemen barely functional and the opposition Houthi of non-stop conflict and the lack of basic alliance lacks resources. humanitarian necessities, millions are without access to clean drinking water and the country is More aggressive resolutions have been at high risk of a cholera epidemic. supported in the UN Security Council by the United Kingdom, directed at all parties to the Yemen has been wracked by chaos since late conflict—especially Saudi Arabia and the 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran United Arab Emirates (UAE)—to support an Sanaa and other parts of the country, forcing immediate ceasefire and to assure delivery of President Abdi Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and his humanitarian assistance. These efforts have been Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to blocked by the United States, on behalf of Saudi Riyadh. Arabia, a non-member of the Security Council but a close ally of U.S. President Donald The Saudi-led coalition began a military Trump.5 campaign against Iran-backed Houthi militias in March 2015. The coalition sides with President For the Member States of the Arab League, Hadi. The coalition also included the United problems of immediate self-interest and Arab Emirates (UAE), but in 2019 UAE precedent always are important. While the withdrew most, but not all, its combat forces.7 situation in Yemen is complex and a lasting political solution seems remote, the problem is Fighting the government is the Houthi rebel further complicated for the Member States of the army, a religiously founded organization close to Arab League by concerns for the impact of new Shi’ite Islam, which has some support from Iran resolutions on other conflicts. How the Arab but mostly appears to represent age-old divisions League addresses humanitarian problems in within Yemen. The Houthi rebellion is best Yemen also affects precedents for other acute known for its determination and unwillingness problems in the Middle East and the Muslim to compromise.8 world, such as those in Myanmar, South Sudan or Syria. Food has been used as a weapon of war. ‘Yemen’s situation is now catastrophic, with nearly half of all children aged between six Current Situation months and five years old chronically malnourished.’9 Over 12 million Yemenis are The ‘forgotten war’ has caused the biggest going hungry as wheat and other staples are in humanitarian crisis in recorded history. ‘The war increasingly short supply. Over 15 million are in Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian without access to health care as most hospitals crisis, with more than 22 million people - three- have shut down due to lack of medical supplies quarters of the population - in desperate need of and power shortages. The majority of the aid and protection, United Nations Secretary country’s people have nowhere to go within the General Antonio Guterres said.’6 After 4 years region. 5 Julian Borger, ‘Yemen ceasefire resolution blocked at UN 7 Declan Walsh and David D. Kirkpatrick, ‘U.A.E. Pulls after Saudi and UAE 'blackmail', Guardian, 29 November Most Forces From Yemen in Blow to Saudi War Effort’, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/29/un- New York Times, 11 July 2019 yemen-ceasefire-resolution-blocked-saudi-uae-blackmail https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/world/middleeast/ye 6‘Yemen War Is World's Worst Humanitarian Crisis, UN men-emirates-saudi-war.html Says’, CNN, 3 April 2018, 8 ‘Arab League Voices Concerns over Crisis in Syria and https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/03/middleeast/yemen- Yemen’" Middle East Observer. 30 March 2017, worlds-worst-humanitarian-crisis-un-intl/index.html https://www.middleeastobserver.org/2017/03/30/33893/ 9 “Yemeni Revolution”. Wikipedia. 3 Aiding the Internally Displaced People and Refugees in Yemen or escape the country entirely. The government The war in Yemen has elements of a ‘proxy says there are also between 1.7 and 2 million war,’ featuring not only local rivalry, but also internally displaced people, asylum seekers and outside powers asserting their interests against migrants in Yemen, 460,000 of whom need each other. In this case, the Yemeni conflict is to humanitarian assistance to survive.10 Some some extent a proxy for Iran and Saudi Arabia, humanitarian organizations report this number is as they fight for regional influence. a significant underestimate. Independent observers say at least 14 million Yemenis, out of Yemen is in some ways the perfect place for a total population of approximately 28 million, proxy conflict, where outside countries can fight lack reliable access to food.11 on land, air and water. Siding with the Houthis are Iran, Hezbollah (the political part ruling much of Lebanon), and in a distant sense the Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea. Background Siding with the Hadi government are the Yemen National Army, Saudi Arabia and United Arab The current state of Yemen was formed in 1990, Emirates, with varying degrees of assistance when the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) from France, Morocco, Qatar, Senegal and the and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen United States.
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