by FATMA JAFFER
In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties after years of tension. That deal has paved the way for historic peace talks to end eight years of devastating war in Yemen, a conflict in which the Saudi and Iranian regimes are both entrenched. The main warring parties, the international recognized government and the Houthi movement in the north, have been making positive noises about a possible peace agreement. Recent prisoner swaps have offered further hope to exhausted Yemenis.
A temporary UN-brokered truce, which began in April 2022, first provided our country a degree of stability. Airstrikes and ground fighting significantly reduced, resulting in a dramatic drop in civilian casualties. Flights out of Yemen’s capital Sanaa recommenced and fuel ships were once again allowed to enter the port of Hudaydah on the Red Sea, which had been under a Saudi-imposed blockade. The truce also enabled humanitarian aid to be delivered to communities that were previously difficult to reach due to the intense conflict. But negotiations slowed around some contentious points and the ceasefire expired in October last year. Despite this, the country has not seen a return to full-blown fighting – but this could change unless the ongoing negotiations result in a lasting peace agreement.
Pushed to the brink
In 2015, a conflict erupted in Yemen between the internationally recognized government led by former Yemeni president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi movement in Northern Yemen. The following year, a coalition led by the Saudis and UAE and supported by the US, UK and others, unleashed a military campaign on Yemen, in response to a call by Hadi’s exiled government for military support. Over the next eight years, brutal fighting decimated the country’s economy, pushing it into one of the world’s gravest humanitarian crises, with over 21 million people – two-thirds of the population – in need of aid. More than 19,000 civilians have been killed and over four million forced to flee their homes.
Sales of UK and US arms to the Saudi-led coalition have fuelled a pattern of violence against civilians. Since the conflict broke out, Britain has licensed at least £7.9 billion ($9.7bn) in arms to Saudi Arabia. During the height of the war, hospitals, schools and homes were repeatedly hit by Saudi airstrikes. UK-made weapons have been used in attacks on civilian targets, according to analysis by Oxfam and other human rights organizations.
Imports of fuel, food, medicine and other supplies have been severely disrupted. A situation further exacerbated by recent global food shortages, and unprecedented rises in the prices of basic foodstuffs which have doubled. Everyday essentials have become unaffordable for many.
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