YEMEN CIVIL WAR

YEMEN CIVIL WAR

Subject: Intenational Relations

Context: Riyadh proposes ceasefire plan to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Concept:

Yemen Conflict:

• Since 2014, Yemen has been facing a multi-sided conflict involving local, regional, and international actors.
• The Houthis, a group of Zaidi Shia Muslims who ruled a kingdom there for nearly 1,000 years, used widespread anger against President Hadi’s decision to postpone long-awaited elections and his stalled negotiations over a new constitution.
• They marched from their stronghold of Saada province to the capital Sanaa and surrounded the presidential palace, placing Hadi under house arrest.

Saudi Arabia’s Intervention:

• A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in March 2015, at Hadi’s request, after the Houthis continued to sweep the south and threatened to conquer the last government stronghold of Aden, prompting one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises ever.

Ceasefire:

• Yemen Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia-backed forces loyal to the President of Yemen agreed to a United Nations-mediated ceasefire agreement in 2018.

Resurgence of Houthi Attacks:

• In 2019, the Yemen’s Shia Houthi rebels, violating the ceasefire, attacked Aramco crude oil production in Saudi Arabia.