What is the Yemen Crisis?

• Yemen was ruled for a millennium by Zaydi Shia imams until 1962.

• The Houthis were founded as a Zaydi Shia revivalist movement.

• Instead of religious demands, the Houthis' demands have been primarily economic and political in nature.

• Fears of what is seen as "Iranian Expansionism" through its support for Shia-armed groups >>Political commentators in the Arab Gulf states often claim that Iran now controls four Arab capitals: Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and Sanaa.)

• Events in Yemen are viewed as part of Saudi Arabia's "Cold War" with Iran.

• Complete dissatisfaction with the Yemeni government and the failure in the political transition to the current President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, also included:
• Being plagued with attacks by Al-Qaeda 
• A separatist movement in the South
• The continuing loyalty of many military officers to the previous 30-year military coup ruler (Ali Abdullah Saleh)
• Corruption
• Unemployment
• Food insecurity

Many ordinary Yemenis--including Sunnis--supported the Houthis (Shia Muslims)

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• 2013: Yemen's National Dialogue Conference was launched, and was tasked with writing a new constitution and creating a federal political system.

• Houthis withdrew from the process because it left Yemen's transitional government in place.

• 2 Houthi representatives were assassinated during the conference's proceedings.  

• September 2014: The Houthis took control of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and proceeded to push southwards towards the country's second-biggest city, Aden.

• December 2014: ISIL announced the formation of a state in Yemen.

• January 2015:  The Houthis reinforced their takeover of Sanaa, surrounding the presidential palace and other key points and effectively placing Mr. Hadi and his cabinet ministers under house arrest.

• In response to the Houthis' advances, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition of Arab states and Western Powers to defeat the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

• March 2015: ISIL claimed its first attack in Yemen--Suicide bombings in 2 Sanaa mosques used by Zaydi Shia Muslims, which killed more than 140 people. 

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia launched brutal aerial warfare on the civilians of Yemen to defeat the Houthi rebels and restore Yemen's government.

• The Arab Coalition includes:
• Qatar 
• Kuwait
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
• Bahrain
• Egypt
• Morocco
• Jordan
• Sudan
• Senegal  

• The Western Powers include:

• USA
• United Kingdom (UK)
• France
• Australia   

>>>Several of these countries have sent troops to fight on the ground in Yemen, while others have carried out air strikes.
>>>The Western Powers have supplied the Saudi-led coalition with weapons and intelligence.

• The United States launches daily air strikes on Al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) targets in Yemen, and recently admitted to having deployed a small number of troops on the ground.

• October 2015: Doctors Without Borders hospital bombed by Saudi-led coalition. Coalition had been given coordinates of the hospital. 12 staff members and patients have been confirmed injured.

• January 2016: Doctors Without Borders hospital hit by a rocket, killing 4 people
•  2,800 civilians had been killed by the fighting in Yemen. 

• 8,100 casualties overall. 

• The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that more than 2.4 million Yemenis have fled their homes to elsewhere in the country. 

• 120,000 have sought asylum in other countries, including Djibouti and Somalia. 

• Both sides have been accused of killing civilians-- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has estimated that Saudi-led coalition air strikes caused almost 2/3 of reported civilian deaths. 

• Houthis have been accused of causing mass civilian casualties due to their siege of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city-- this prevented critical medical supplies from arriving. 

• March 2016: US military said it intercepted arms shipments from Iran to Yemen, claiming it was the 3rd in 2 months that this had occurred. 
• Iran has denied arming the Houthi rebels.
• Iranian officials have suggested they may send military advisers to support the Houthis. 

• August 2016: Saudi-led massive bombardment of a residential area and a school in Northern Yemen killed at least 19 people.  
• First bombardment: In the village of Birken in the Razih District, near Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia.  

• Struck the home of Ali Okri, a school principal, killing his wife and 4 of their children.  

• A 2nd airstrike killed 4 more of Mr. Okri's relatives who were trying to free them from the rubble. 

• This type of bombardment is known in the war as a double tap. 

• When rescuers took the victims from the principal’s house to Shiara Hospital, which is supported by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders--staff members asked the rescuers to leave immediately, fearing that the hospital would be hit by another airstrike, rescuers said.
•  Second Bombardment: The Haydan District, another northern area: 

• Airstrikes hit a school. 

• Killing 10 students and wounding 28 others.

•  March 2017: At least 4,773 people have been killed with 8,272 injured.  
• 17 million considers food insecure. 

• 6.8 million are SEVERELY food insecure. 

• 3.3 million children/pregnant or breast-feeding mothers are acutely malnourished. 

• 462,000 children UNDER 5 face SEVERE acute malnutrition. 

• 2 million are internal displaced.