The UN Fears A Civil War in Yemen

There is an article from Al Jazeera on the domestic situation in Yemen that is worth reading. According to the United Nations, “Yemen’s conflict could become an “Iraq-Libya-Syria” scenario if either side pushes for control of the country, prompting the U.N. Security Council to threaten further measures if the hostilities do not end.” The conflict is between the rebel Houthi forces, and President And Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is trying to regain control of the country. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on the situation in Yemen. They specifically, “condemned the takeover of much of Yemen and its institutions by the Shia Muslim Houthis, urged them to withdraw, stated its support for Hadi and demanded an end to the hostilities in a statement adopted on Sunday” (Al Jazeera, 2015).

As the report points out

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized parts of the city of Taiz and its airport and are pushing to seize more territory across the country, as the United Nations Security Council called an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the crisis.

The rebels were pushing south to the city of Aden, where Hadi has set up his administration. The Houthis took over the capital, Sanaa, in September and put him under house arrest in February. As the rebels dissolved parliament, Hadi fled to Aden, Yemen’s economic center, declaring it the temporary capital with the support of most of the international community.

This conflict internally in Yemen does not seem to be close to resolving diplomatically. It will be imperative for local (and international actors) to work towards a solution to the conflict.