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Yemen on the Verge of Total State Collapse While the Global Community Remains Silent

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Yemen on the Verge of Total State Collapse While the Global Community Remains Silent Charlotte Hohmann / Said AlDailami Yemen on the Verge of Total State Collapse While the Global Community Remains Silent Six years after the successful protests of the so-called “Arab Spring” leading to the resignation of former President Ali Abdallah Saleh, Yemen is facing a war on multip- le fronts. The Arab world’s poorest country is suffering from a political situation that has already been fragile and is now on the verge of total state collapse. The violence has triggered a humanitarian disaster with at least three million Yemenis being in- ternally displaced and a famine threatening the country. An end of the conflict is not yet in sight. The international community seems to follow their own interests instead of trying to conclude a ceasefire and peace agreement. Schlagwörter: Arab Spring - Yemen - Civil War - Sunni-Shia - Conflict Saudi Arabia-Iran - Houthi - Saleh - International Intervention YEMEN ON THE VERGE OF TOTAL STATE COLLAPSE WHILE THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY REMAINS SILENT || Charlotte Hohmann / Sail AlDailami Introductory Remarks Generally speaking, Yemen is now divided between two warring parties. Six years after the start of the 2011 The country has been devastated by a uprising and the successful protests of struggle between forces loyal to the in- the so-called “Arab Spring”, leading to ternationally recognized government the resignation of former President Ali under president Hadi and those allied to Abdallah Saleh, Yemen is facing a war on the Houthi rebel movement. Since March multiple fronts. The combination of 2015 at least 10,000 civilians have been proxy wars, sectarian violence, state killed and 42,000 injured2 – the majority collapse and militia rule has sadly be- due to air strikes effected by a Saudi-led come part of the everyday routine. Even military intervention. The violence has though the political process seemed triggered a humanitarian disaster, leav- promising, the transition has failed. ing between 70 and 80 percent of the There is little hope in producing a last- population in urgent need of humanitar- ing settlement within the near future, as ian assistance3 “nobody is likely to win such a fight, which will only benefit those who pros- Yemen is on the verge of a famine, per in the chaos of war”1. leaving almost 500,000 children at the risk of starving to death. Over half of its As a matter of fact, Yemen is at war. 26 million citizens face severe food in- The Arab world’s poorest country is suf- security. The restrictions of food and fering from a political situation that has fuel import due to a variety of aerial and already been fragile and is now on the naval blockades have led the people be- verge of total state collapse. What at ing deprived of life-sustaining commodi- first began with localized fighting has ties and basic services4. Civilians have since escalated into full blown war, been repeatedly victims of serious viola- characterized by vast diffused dynamics, tions of international humanitarian law including a large number of different and human rights. Human Rights Watch actors – a war which is systematically has already discovered and documented creating one of the world’s worst human- a large number of unlawful airstrikes itarian disasters and bringing up con- and other war crimes committed by both flicts that seemed to be long time forgot- warring parties5. Furthermore, more ten, including inter-religious and re- than half of Yemen’s health facilities are gional struggles. currently either not functioning or only ARGUMENTE UND MATERIALIEN DER ENTWICKLUNGSZUSAMMENARBEIT 20 47 CHARLOTTE HOHMANN / SAID ALDAILAMI bian Peninsula and the so called Islamic State to grow and take advantage of the country’s catastrophic and chaotic situa- tion7. As a result, the country’s refugee flow is increasing rapidly: At least three million Yemenis are currently internally displaced. A vast picture of a variety of actors that is not able to show who is fighting who characterizes Yemen’s crisis and the war. However, it is certain that the cur- rent crisis has many causes, but was ultimately precipitated by Yemen’s for- mer political dynamics and the interven- tion of regional powers at the cost of basic services including water, healthcare, security and justice8. Not only has the country struggled with the failure of the political transition but also with the uprising of old conflicts be- tween religious and regional groups un- According to UNICEF, half of Yemen’s population currently derlying structural issues. Problems that lives on less than $2 a day. The country’s health facilities are the country already overcame long time either only partially working or not functioning at all. Source: HSF Tunisia. ago are now characterizing the war. Historical Background In order to demonstrate how Yemen got into its current crisis, the following extract will point out the historical background by underlining the different phases the country went through from a divided to finally united nation. It will Almost 500,000 children are suffering from sever malnutri- be important to realize that during the tion, leaving them at the risk of starving to death. Source: HSF Tunisia. last decades Yemen has already dealt with the conflicts that are now charac- partially working. This means that half terizing the present critical situation. of the society suffers significantly from After the final withdrawal of the Ot- insufficient healthcare6. toman Empire in the beginning of the 20th century, Yemen went through differ- The conflict has fragmented a weak ent periods from developing two sepa- state, destroyed the country’s poor in- rated states followed by unification, frastructure and paved the way for ter- revolution and reorganization including rorists groups like Al-Qaeda in the Ara- international intervention and recurring 48 ARGUMENTE UND MATERIALIEN DER ENTWICKLUNGSZUSAMMENARBEIT 20 YEMEN ON THE VERGE OF TOTAL STATE COLLAPSE WHILE THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY REMAINS SILENT tensions. Obviously, the country had to plan to unify the two countries. Howev- cope with many ongoing conflicts strug- er, this change was not supposed to gling to maintain internal cohesion happen at this time. In 1978, Ali Abdul- throughout all its history. Considering lah Saleh became president of the still Yemen as the Arab world’s poorest and separate north and guided the YAR to- probably most violent country, it is not wards a centralized system of govern- surprising that the history was shaped ment characterized by a focus on the by a large number of perennial civil wars control of the country’s resources and a between various groups. concentration of power within his re- gime10. To begin with, the present tensions or rather fighting between northern and South Yemen southern movements can be traced back to the former division into north and Regarding the south of Yemen, it has south regions with their own distinct to be emphasized that Yemen’s location developments: across the Gulf of Aden has always played an important role in the course of North Yemen its historic development. The first, who saw an economically important key point Since the Ottoman Empire had with- in Yemen, was the British government. drawn its control from the country, the Already in the early 19th century, the rule of Zaydi imam Muhammed Yahya British East India Company had captured was formally recognized in the north of the port of Aden in order to provide a Yemen. After his death, he was succeed- coaling station for ships, established as ed by his son Ahmad. His reign was the Aden Settlement. It gained even mainly shaped by growing repression, more political and strategic importance renewed friction with the UK and grow- after the opening of the Suez Canal that ing pressures to support Arab nationalist still remains one of the most important objectives. He died in September 1962 waterways through which oil shipments and his son took over the power leading are passing11. to the creation of the Yemen Arab Re- public (YAR). This was followed by grow- Until 1937 Aden was ruled as part of ing tensions with forces loyal to the British India as the colony of Aden, that Kingdom in the south, including inter- should stay in its own right but was tied ventions by Saudi Arabia, Jordan and to Britain by treaties of protection. Dur- Egypt which started the North Civil War. ing the following decades, Britain signed The fighting ended by the recognition of agreements with local rulers and created the Republic in 19709. the Aden Protectorate, later divided into East and West protectorate for adminis- Shortly after, fighting erupted again trative reasons. between north and south Yemen, includ- ing repeated intervention by its neigh- Given the fact, that the economic bor Saudi Arabia and the USSR. The con- development was largely centered in the flict was short-lived and led to the 1972 port city Aden flourishing due to the dis- Cairo Agreement that already included a covery of crude oil, whereas the rural ARGUMENTE UND MATERIALIEN DER ENTWICKLUNGSZUSAMMENARBEIT 20 49 CHARLOTTE HOHMANN / SAID ALDAILAMI regions around the city stagnated, pres- land providing the government as main sure for the British to leave the territory source of employment13. grew. Soon the government of Egypt, fighting against British rule in the Mid- Unification dle East, tried to increase the pressure on the British by creating the United Meanwhile, the north was struggling Arab Republic in order to incorporate more and more financially and the south Yemen. On the other hand, Britain had to face bankruptcy regarding the formed the Federation of Arab Emirates collapse of the Soviet Union. As a result of the South with various southern the two states were forced to agree to states. They wanted to incorporate all of merge in a deal between the leaders of the Aden Protectorate into the Federa- the YAR, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the tion during the 60s, which was renamed PDRY, Ali Salim al-Baidh.
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