What kind of impact is being observed on the Middle East countries including Yemen in the rise of Houthi rebels in Yemen? What is the future of emerging crises?
Introduction:
Restlessness, turmoil, and instability pervade the world. According to a recent international report, there are civil wars or shadow wars in about 150 countries of the world. The Arab world is already ahead in the unrest race. After the end of the centralized rule of the Ottoman Empire and the Ottoman Sultanate (1919), the Arab states under the Sultanate became Penedera’s box. International analysts say that the “war on terror” in the world. Today is the “subjugation alliance” imposed by the West on the Muslim world. Today’s troubled Yemen bears that legacy.
Background of Houthi rebels in Yemen?
In 2011, the democratic revolution that emerged from Tunisia, the ‘Arab Spring’, hit the Arab world. The people of Yemen also rose against feudalism, tribalism, and dictatorship. After a long political conflict, President Abdullah Saleh left power. Mass protests erupted against Saleh’s alleged 33-year dictatorship. President Saleh, like his fellow Egyptian Hosni Mubarak, resigned after much tossing and procrastination. In the February 2012 elections, the National Consensus candidate, Abderabbu Mansoor Al Hadi, won the nation’s mandate as a single candidate.
60 percent of the southern region is Sunni and 40 percent of the northern region is anti-Shia and the previously cherished north-south conflict becomes a big challenge for him. Apart from this, there is tribal division. Al Qaeda is sitting on the dead like a sore throat. The post-election al Qaeda car bombing that killed 78 soldiers and 25 al Qaeda operatives plunged the country into continued political violence.
In a televised address in late January, Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi said of President Mansour al-Hadi and other leaders that “they are putting their interests ahead of the Yemeni people.” They have sunk deep into corruption and dictatorship. The country is in a sad situation and is on the way to complete collapse. The situation has deteriorated in all aspects – political, economic, and security.’
Yemen, which has been in a cycle of crisis for a long time, is apparently on the verge of civil war. Efforts to reconcile all the conflicting and violent parties have been far from successful. The crisis is intensifying with the rise of the Houthi rebels. If Yemen’s internal problem is not solved by its mechanisms, the intervention of external regional or international powers will only complicate and prolong the problem.
Recent crises in 2024:
The immediate cause of the current crisis is that the Houthi population of northern Yemen’s Sa’ada province has been agitating for greater autonomy for a long time. After political initiatives and attempts at reconciliation failed, their militia forces entered the capital, Sanaa, last September. The entry and control of militia forces in the capital was already.
Rendering the government is ineffective.
The Houthi militias agreed to form a government of national unity with mediators. Since last September, the continuous ‘game’ of compromise agreements and cease-fires has been going on. Meanwhile, Shiite Houthi fighters, who dominate Yemen’s northern region, which has been wracked by years of internal strife, recently captured the capital, Sanaa.
He resigned in the context of the Houthi fighters surrounding the palace of President-elect Abd-Rabbu Mansour Al Hadi. The Prime Minister of the country also follows the President. Houthi rebels dissolve the country’s parliament. On the occasion of this administrative vacuum, the Houthi rebels announced a presidential council of 5 members.
The Houthis said the council would govern the country for an interim period of two years. In addition, the rebels also announced the formation of a 551-member National Assembly in place of the current legislature.
Yemen’s opposition parties called the announcement a coup. The provisional Houthi government is suffering from a crisis of legitimacy. On the other hand, the authorities of the four Sunni-dominated provinces in the southern region of the country said that they do not accept the control of the capital Sana’a.
In this context, the Yemen crisis has become more concentrated than at any time in the past. The Houthi rebels are so strong militarily that the presidential guard forces suffered crushing defeats in recent clashes. International analysts believe that the emergence of the already active militant organization ‘Al Qaeda may occur in the absence of this leadership.
Arab coalition attack:
The coalition forces of the Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia started the war against the Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 26. The Saudi coalition says the operation is being carried out to “protect the legitimately elected government” of the country. These countries are Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
In this context, many Western countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and
Australia has accelerated the supply of weapons to the coalition led by Saudi Arabia. Saudi-led joint Arab forces launched airstrikes on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen. Turkey and Pakistan support the joint Arab forces’ operation to restore social order in Yemen.
On the other hand, Iran has been strongly criticizing the campaign. In addition to carrying out massive attacks on the people of Yemen, Saudi and US forces have continued to raise various allegations against Iran on this issue. They say that Iran is providing arms to Houthi fighters. The Saudi Arabian and Yemeni armies are now trying to end the war in an honorable way.
Yemen’s opposition parties have also called for an end to the war and a negotiated solution. Therefore, if the path of justice is followed in this situation, it will be good for both parties and Shia Muslims can also be hopeful about realizing their political and religious rights.
Resignation of UN peace envoy in Yemen:
The UN Security Council recently adopted a resolution calling for an end to the ongoing conflict in Yemen and the swift resumption of peace talks. Jamal Benomar, the UN peace envoy to Yemen, has resigned after failing to gain support from the Gulf countries for his plan in war-torn Yemen. The Moroccan diplomat has been serving as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy to Yemen since 2012. He was replaced by Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Auld Sheikh Ahmed. He was appointed on April 25, 2015.
Israel-Gaza crisis in 2024:
Houthi is fighting against Israel in 2024 after Israeli invasion in Gaza.
Future of Yemen:
Yemen is an important country in the international political equation due to its geographical location. Yemen is located at the estuary of the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea at the southwestern tip of the Jajirat al-Arab or Arabian Peninsula. The population of this country of 4 lakh 72 thousand 99 square kilometers is 24.41 million (2014). The country is not as rich in oil resources as other Arab countries.
There is also a dispute with Saudi Arabia over the amount of oil there is. The country has been left fragile by long-standing conflicts and violence. The economic crisis, corruption, and the greed of the ruling group have left Yemenis in a miserable state. Hence the source of the current crisis is the economy as well as the politics of geographical and regional spheres of influence that have internationalized the Yemeni problem.
Fallen dictator Saleh has been at odds with several other Western countries, including Saudi Arabia. The presence of the West against Al Qaeda was a noticeable factor. On the other hand, Iran’s affinity with the Shiite population of North Yemen is quite natural. A left-wing force emerged here in the socialist era.
They gained prominence, especially during the reign of Jamal Abdul Nasser. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of socialism weakened the Left but did not destroy it. Meanwhile, Yemeni politicians have complained that former President Saleh wants to fish in murky water. In trying to coordinate such diverse and opposing forces, the newly ousted government faltered.
The people of Saada province are now in dire straits due to the united totalitarian attack of the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. Thousands of bombs, missiles, and shells have so far killed many civilians. Many families have lost their homes. According to one statistic, 200,000 people have become refugees due to the war in North Yemen.
As the white area has been under siege for a long time, the shortage of food, clean water, and medicine has intensified. Although the international human rights organization Amnesty International has called for an opportunity to evacuate the refugees from the War-torn areas, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia are not agreeing to it.
Even relief supplies sent for refugees are not being allowed to reach. Despite all the Suffering, public support for the Houthi fighters is not diminishing but growing. Because the Houthis continue to struggle to fulfill public expectations.
Even the vast masses of the country cannot accept the attack and aggression of foreign forces in violation of Yemen’s independence and sovereignty. Therefore, it would be best to resolve the situation through negotiation rather than resorting to further war. Failure to do so will intensify the Arab crisis.
Conclusion:
Political analysts believe that the current crisis in the country is due to the failure of the Yemeni government to ensure the social and political rights of the people. However, some countries including Saudi Arabia have a role in destabilizing the country. The truth is, the longer the war goes on, the greater the damage to the entire country, including the civilians population.
In that situation, the Yemeni government should resolve the problem through peaceful means of negotiation.