V. Armed conflict and peace processes in Yemen

Chapter:

6. Armed conflict and peace processes in the Middle East and North Africa

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2021

Author(s):

Ian Davis

The roots of the current multiparty war and humanitarian crisis in Yemen are complex and contested.¹ The Houthi insurgency began in 2004 when Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, a leader of the Zaidi Shi’a, launched an uprising against the Yemeni Government. Al-Houthi was killed in that uprising, and the insurgents became known as the Houthis (the official name is Ansar Allah). In 2014 after several years of growing violence, the country descended into a new phase of civil war between the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and an uneasy alliance of Iran-backed Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdallah Saleh that controlled the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of the country.² Since March 2015 a coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been intervening militarily on the side of President Hadi, although the coalition itself is divided by conflicts and rivalries. In addition to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the coalition included Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar (until 2017), Senegal and Sudan, either supplying ground troops or carrying out air strikes.³ The coalition has also received substantial international support (including arms transfers) from Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.⁴