Aqeela Asif
FIRST decade of the 21st Century, Arab Spring brought the wave of restlessness in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and it turned into full swing in 2010. Though, it was started with the social issues of corruption, injustice and arrogant attitudes of government officials but soon that converted into political movements. It gripped the whole of MENA region; however, almost all countries of the region experienced diverse consequences of that upsurge. Yemen is an important state of the Middle East and badly effected by the Arab Spring wave. Initially, the controlled political unrest stared with the mild internal political unrest and in a very short span of time converted into violent conflict. Subsequently, Yemen has been facing severe internal instability since 2011. The clashes were underway due to the authoritarian rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. It resulted to power shift to his Deputy, Abdurabbuh Mansour Hadi. However; it was the start of restlessness for the years to come. The UN stated ‘Yemen as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 14 million people at risk of food shortage and frequent outbreaks of deadly diseases like cholera from last few years’. Now the outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 is another major threat not only for Yemen rather for the whole region. This crisis is linked to the armed conflict between many groups and a mess of detracted governance, control and command. The Saudi-led coalition imposed restrictions on imports of Yemen that have further deteriorated the terrible humanitarian crisis.
When President Hadi became in power he faced many challenges including political and administrative glitches. Internal political uncertainty created by jihadists and separatist movement in the South. In administration, there were many officials, working on key posts and in military who continued their loyalty with the former ruler, Saleh. At societal level corruption, unemployment and food insecurity were also the major issues for President Hadi. The ongoing war took a violent turn in 2014 when Houthi Shia Muslim rebels openly announced their demands and armed demonstrations. Many observers and experts widely perceived that conflict as an extension of the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy war and as an approach to contain Iranian influence in the region. Consequently, the most serious issue was the powerful Houthi drive for political hold and power, it is also known as Ansar Allah. They were active during the era of Saleh and had background of severe clashes with him during his rule. At start they demanded to remove him from power but they did not stop their activities even after his removal. Houthi had intentions to establish their supremacy on Yemen so they took advantage of Arab Spring protests resulted into shift of power and attained the control of Northern centre of Saada province and adjacent areas. The Houthis gradually took the control of capital Sanaa and they forced President Hadi into exile abroad in 2015.
The internal instability of Yemen resulted unexpected state of affairs in the country. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab States, supported by the US, UK and France, initiated air strikes against the Houthis to restore President Hadi’s Government. Another reason was the offensive and threatening statements of Houthis leaders. Therefore, Saudi Arabia decided to take military action along with the bordering areas of Yemen to restrict the Houthi within the boundaries of Yemen to control the spread of political instability in the region. The conflict afterward lingered on and thousands of civilians have been killed over the past five years in the war between the government and the Huthi rebels. The blockade levied by Saudi Arabia and its allies has stopped the poor people and the Houthi rebels of foodstuff and necessary medical supplies and medical equipment to combat any health emergency situation such as pandemic Covid-19. Around 70 percent of the population already facing the health issues of malnutrition and many other diseases. The lack of medical supplies due to the sealing of border is making the situation more multifarious. Main oil fields of Yemen are already under the control of the coalition and it restricted oil exports by 50 per cent, further dropping the oil revenues of the country. Unceasing war and violent activities of multiple groups are still involved in clashes and making the lives of helpless public miserable that are already paying the heavy price for the last many years.
Earlier this month, Yemen testified its first case of Coronavirus in Hadramawt, a southern government-controlled province, raising fear of an outbreak in the country. Recently, the Saudi-led coalition announced unilateral ceasefire in Yemen for one month to contain the COVID-19. The political and conflict situation in Yemen is still unstable and damaged health infrastructure is multiplying the gravity of the scenario. The outbreak of pandemic of COVID-19 is expected to drain the economies of many countries. In this situation, different militant groups and military actions might be stopped for the time being in the upcoming years. On the other hand the Houthis are demanding for complete ceasefire and lift of air and sea blockade. However, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) which is supported by the UAE stated the plan to promote the self-rule in the southern province of Yemen, outer areas of the Houthi controlled territory. The domestic conflict in Yemen is more significant than external interferences. Currently, there are three major actors including the Houthis, Internationally Recognized government (IRG), and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) they all are struggling for power in Yemen. Peace in Yemen and the region may be restored with the effective role of UAE by convincing rebel groups to reduce internal tension and resolve the political issues in political manner.
—The writer is Assistant Professor COMSATS University.
