It might seem premature to discuss reconstruction as the war in Yemen drags on, with many actors on the ground seeing no end in sight. However, several key decision-makers, including Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council, are already discussing post-war strategies for reconstruction and recovery in Yemen. It is valuable then to discuss some policies that could facilitate rebuilding Yemen’s fractured economy, with an eye toward the future and the cessation of hostilities, but including those that could help the economy even before the conflict has ended.
Power Struggles in Ta'iz Pitch Aligned Groups Against Each Other, Report Finds
While the war in Yemen is often portrayed as having two sides---the Houthis aligned with GPC-San’a against the Saudi-led coalition and Hadi’s government forces--in reality, both sides are fragmented, with groups representing different political loyalties, often resulting in conflict among the groups within each alliance.
IHL & HRL Violations - July 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
San’a Governorate
On July 1, one civilian was reported killed by Houthis in the Suad Hanash district of San’a city, for unknown reasons. This violates Rule 1 of Customary IHL, which requires parties distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Profits of War, Obstacles to Peace
As the crisis in Yemen approaches its fifth year, wartime economic opportunities have entrenched themselves in the political economy of Yemen. As long as they exist, these economic opportunities represent disincentives to negotiation for the same powerful parties whose buy-in is essential for a peaceful resolution to the war.
IHL & HRL Violations - June 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
Ta’iz Governorate
On June 2, journalist Anwar Al-Rukn died after being imprisoned at a Houthi-controlled detention facility for ten months. He was released from prison severely dehydrated and weakened, resulting in his death three days after his release. This violates Rule 34 of Customary IHL, which states that journalists that do not take a direct role in the conflict are protected parties. Additionally, torture and cruel or inhuman treatment violates Rule 90 of Customary IHL.
Currency in Crisis: The Yemeni Riyal and the Dangerous Effects of Depreciation
A taxi driver is unable to feed his family after long days of work. A police officer spends most of his salary on transportation to and from his workplace. A government employee’s salary is worth half of what it was worth before the war. A school teacher goes to work everyday, but hasn’t been paid for five months. Financial strain in the Yemeni economy has had an outsize impact on Yemenis’ lives, as ordinary Yemenis contend with the falling currency value that decreases their purchasing power on imported items.
Before 2014: Yemen's Economy Before the War
Yemen has suffered from economic woes since the unification of the North (Yemen Arab Republic) and South (People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen) in 1990. Months after unification, Yemen—then on the UN Security Council—voted against the authorization of use of force against Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait. The vote not only provoked the US and Saudi Arabia to cut off all aid to the new state, it also spurred the expulsion of nearly 750,000 Yemenis from Saudi Arabia, many of whom had worked there for decades, sending remittances to their families still in Yemen.[1] As external funding flowing into the nation trickled to a stop, the 1994 civil war and subsequent political crises decreased investor confidence, racked up reconstruction expenses, and sent Yemen's economy spiraling.
HRL & IHL Violations - May 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
Marib Governorate
On May 6, a Houthi sniper allegedly shot and killed a civilian woman in Ahmad village, near Qaniyah town in Mahliyah district. This violates Customary IHL Chapters 3 and 6.
May 31-June 4: US weighs support for Hudaydah attack
5/31
Facing a manpower shortage, Houthi militias are reportedly forcing government employees to fight alongside them on the front lines.
Amid several defeats in Sa’dah and Hudaydah, the Houthis have reportedly turned to Oman to help put forward an urgent initiative to reach a political solution to the conflict.
The Yemen Data Project released statistics on civilian casualties resulting from Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in April 2018, finding that the targeting of civilian vehicles intensified while overall air raids decreased by 12% from the monthly average.
On a visit to Marib, the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen announced reconstruction and development projects that include a regional airport. Previous Saudi promises, such as commitments to improve the ports of Aden and Mukalla, have not been honored.
May 21-30: Coalition continues toward Hudaydah as UN officials express concern
5/21
Oxfam’s Scott Paul was featured on an episode of UN Dispatch podcast, explaining the impact of the Saudi-led coalition’s restrictions on shipping on people in southern Yemen.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released a statement on the situation in Yemen expressing concern about escalating hostilities in the Tihamah coastal region.
HRL & IHL Violations - April 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
San’a Governorate
On April 1, Houthis released a civilian detainee who was reportedly tortured until he became totally paralyzed in their detention facility. Torture and cruel or inhuman treatment violates Rule 90 of Customary IHL.
April 16-30: Yemeni-American immigration woes, fighting in Ta'iz, Aden detention center hunger strike
4/16
The Prime Minister of Yemen, Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, claimed his return to Aden will bring stability to the city because government forces will use all of their capabilities to combat threats to security. High-level government officials have been largely absent from the city that officially serves as their provisional capital.
Horrifying Conditions Await African Migrants in Yemen, HRW Report Finds
A Human Rights Watch report found that Yemeni government officials have tortured, raped, and executed migrants and asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa in a detention center in Aden.
Just Security Article Analyzes How the US Might Be Found Liable for Aiding and Abetting War Crimes
As part of a series of articles on international law and the war in Yemen, Just Security recently published a piece by several legal scholars regarding the War Crimes Act and the US federal statute on aiding and abetting. The authors conclude that US government personnel face limited legal risk of prosecution for aiding and abetting violations by the Saudi-led coalition under the War Crimes Act. It would likely be difficult to establish the requisite mens rea--proof of intent--due to the fact that US military support for the Saudi-led coalition is ostensibly accompanied by training on law-of-war compliance and civilian protection. This is debatable, however, because some observers argue that the deep, systemic problems in the Saudi military render it incapable of carrying out independent air operations without violating international humanitarian law principles. The applicability of these federal laws is important because, although other international venues exist for the prosecution of war crimes, the US generally will not allow foreign or international courts to try US officials or military personnel. The article concludes that another case, the participation of US personnel in the torture and abuse of detainees held by the UAE at sites in southern Yemen, would be easier to prosecute. Those US personnel face greater potential liability for violating the War Crimes Act by aiding and abetting UAE crimes.
HRL & IHL Violations - March 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
Ta'iz Governorate
On March 16, the Houthis reportedly shelled a residential area in Ta’iz. No casualties were reported. Attacks on residential areas violate IHL Chapter 3.
HRL & IHL Violations - February 2018
ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT
San'a Governorate
On February 15, Amnesty International reported that the Houthi-controlled Specialized Penal Court in San’a imposed death sentences on three civilians accused of spying for the coalition.
POMED Report Claims Yemeni Tribes, Rather Than Providing a Safe Haven for AQAP, Oppose the Group
March 26-April 2: US & UN respond to Houthi missiles, new UN envoy begins work
3/26
“If the warring sides care about Yemen, they should make concessions and save us from this plight,” says Suha Salem, a Yemeni woman, in an al-Jazeera article reporting female civilians’ experiences with the war.
A YouGov poll in France showed that 75% of French people want President Macron to suspend arms exports to Saudi Arabia and other countries involved in the Yemeni war.
An International Rescue Committee report found that the Saudi-led coalition is depriving civilians in Yemen of basic healthcare, killing far more than the fighting itself. According to the report, 9.3 million Yemenis are denied life-saving health services, while only half of health facilities in Yemen are operational.
March 12-19: Secret Houthi-KSA talks revealed, Hadi redraws Shabwa borders
3/12
President Hadi has reportedly offered the Chinese government the opportunity to manage the port of Aden.
WHO, UNICEF, and Yemeni organizations have immunized 2.7 million children across the country. Since it was first reported in October 2017, the disease has spread quickly, killing more than 70 people so far.
February 20 - 27: Russia vetoes UNSC resolution condemning Iran; 14 killed in suicide bombing in Aden
2/21
The World Health Organization reported that 66 people have died of diphtheria in Yemen in the past several months. The diphtheria outbreak has coincided with the more widespread cholera epidemic.
Gulf News reported that the city of Marib has become an oil-rich boomtown and oasis of stability during a war that has fractured most of the rest of the country. Due to its oil and gas reserves and proximity to the Saudi border, Marib was spared from the worst of the conflict.
2/22
Fifteen people were killed after Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit three vehicles traveling along the main road linking Sa’dah and San’a.
2/24
At least 14 people were killed and 40 were injured, many of them civilians, by a suicide bomb in Aden. IS claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred outside the headquarters of a counterterrorism unit.
The Houthi leadership submitted a proposal to the United Nations. The document, titled “An Initiative to End the Tragedies Caused by the Aggression in Yemen” called for a reconciliation committee and condemned the UN Security Council’s failure to act.
2/25
According to Mareb Press, the UAE has been importing toxic fuel into Yemen which could have negative economic and environmental ramifications.
Coalition-backed Yemeni forces reportedly made gains over AQAP in their continuing campaign in Hadhramawt. Al Arabiya reported 20 suspected AQAP members were killed during the operation to take the town of Wadi al-Misini.
2/26
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that aimed to put pressure on Iran. The British-drafted UNSC resolution condemned Iran, after the recent report by the UN’s Panel of Experts on Yemen concluded Iran had broken the arms embargo by failing to prevent weapons of Iranian origin from arriving in the possession of the Houthis. The UK’s draft made no mention of violations by the Yemeni government or the Saudi-led coalition. A Russian-drafted resolution was approved on Monday instead, which renewed the arms embargo and the Panel of Experts’ mandate, but omitted any mention of Iran’s involvement in supplying arms to the Houthis.
Transportation Minister Saleh al-Gabwani of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government accused the UAE of setting up tribal and regional armies, fragmenting the country further. “We can’t accept a continuation of the situation,” he said in a government meeting, al-Jazeera reported.
Saudi Arabia replaced several key military commanders, including the chief of staff and the head of ground and air forces, offering no explanation for the overhaul.
The UAE-backed Shabwa Elite Forces launched “Operation Decisive Sword” on Monday against suspected AQAP members in the Upper Directorate of Shabwa province.