Economic

Publications January 22, 2025 26:32 MIN Forgotten Victims of Yemen’s War: The Plight of the Muhammashat By Mohammed al-Harbi Members of the muhammasheen community remain among the most vulnerable victims of systemic injustice and suffering in Yemen, a situation made worse by the war. Ostracized and disparaged, the community’s women and girls (muhammashat) are particularly vulnerable. The nature of their work, which commonly entails begging, street-sweeping, and vending, brings them into public spaces, putting them at risk of exploitation, including sexual and gender-based violence. As the upheaval of war in Yemen disrupts law enforcement and customary norms, and many men from this community have either lost their jobs or joined the frontlines, reports of muhammashat experiencing harassment and sexual abuse are on the increase while perpetrators continue to act with impunity. Based on interviews with local activists, researchers, lawyers,… Continue reading Main Publications January 6, 2025 31:12 MIN Mahrah University: Paving the Way for Workforce Transformation By Tawfeek Al-Ganad, and Lara Uhlenhaut For decades, Yemen’s higher education system has been characterized by a persistent mismatch between graduates’ skills and the changing requirements of the market. The last labor force survey carried out in 2014 showed that less than one-third of Yemen’s labor force had secondary or tertiary education, and a qualification mismatch was found among some 83 percent of the employed population. Yemen’s struggle to produce a skilled workforce can be attributed to many factors, including inflexible curriculums, outdated teaching methods, failure to adapt to technological advancements, and a lack of strategic vision for admissions and curriculum development. Undoubtedly, the historical absence of a unified and coordinated vision for higher education has been exacerbated by a decade-long war and its detrimental impact… Continue reading News December 18, 2024 01:49 MIN Regional Workshop Discusses Red Sea Tensions Amid Houthi Attacks On December 16, two days of strategic dialogue aimed at building regional stability concluded in Amman, Jordan. The Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies partnered with the Folke Bernadotte Academy, the Swedish agency for peace, security, and development, to discuss persistent security risks along the Red Sea coast and the Horn of Africa. Since November 2, 2023, Houthi forces have carried out sustained attacks against Red Sea shipping. These have triggered retaliation from a US-led coalition, including airstrikes within Yemeni territory. Israel has also responded to Houthi drone and missile strikes by targeting ports and energy facilities, escalating the intensity of the conflict. These have created a series of geopolitical consequences affecting countries bordering the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and… Continue reading Main Publications December 9, 2024 29:01 MIN Rescuing Yemen’s Economy By Ned Whalley, and Wadhah Al-Awlaqi A political crisis has wracked the interim capital of Aden as the internationally recognized government struggles to deal with the plummeting Yemeni rial. The currency now trades at over YR2,000 to the dollar, having lost over a third of its value since the year began. Riven by political infighting and lacking the vision or tools to arrest the slide, an acute economic collapse appears imminent if significant and sustained financial support does not arrive. Both short- and long-term factors have put downward pressure on the currency. The roots of the problem are difficult to unpick from Yemen’s troubled pre-war economy, the stressors and destruction of the conflict, and the broader economic downturn that has accompanied it over the past decade,… Continue reading News November 27, 2024 02:02 MIN Climate finance mobilization workshop concludes in Amman A workshop focused on climate finance mobilization mechanisms and strategies relevant to Yemen concluded on Tuesday, November 26, in Amman, Jordan. Held as part of the Rethinking Yemen’s Economy (RYE) Initiative, the Sana’a Center implemented the climate finance workshop aimed at addressing Yemen’s urgent need for funding as the nation faces escalating climate shocks. Climate scientists first began warning of Yemen’s dangerously erratic rainfall patterns nearly 50 years ago. In recent years, the country has witnessed more extreme weather events, including flash floods that swept away vital infrastructure, unearthed unexploded ordinances, destroyed homes, displaced thousands, and contaminated water supplies, contributing to a cholera outbreak. In 2024, flooding in Yemen killed around a hundred people and affected more than half a… Continue reading Publications November 7, 2024 07:17 MIN The New US Administration and Yemen By Abdulghani Al-Iryani Almost four years ago, the incoming Biden administration, deeming peace in Yemen as low-hanging fruit, declared the ending of its war to be a top priority and appointed Special Envoy Tim Lenderking, a veteran of the State Department and competent diplomat, to reap that fruit. At the start of the conflict, the US backed the Saudi-led coalition with arms, intelligence, and logistical support, before pulling back slightly as the campaign against the Houthis turned into a years-long military stalemate and a humanitarian disaster for Yemen. By early 2021, the Houthis began to advance again into government-held territory and cemented themselves as a national security threat to Saudi Arabia via continued cross-border attacks. Well-designed strategic Iranian support, which grew as the… Continue reading Main Publications October 25, 2024 01:50 MIN Localizing Aid and Development in Yemen By Dr. Nadia Al-Sakkaf This study examines the key barriers and opportunities regarding localizing humanitarian aid in Yemen. The findings reveal a significant gap between the international community’s intent to localize aid and the reality on the ground. Challenges include Yemen’s fragmented political landscape, weak governance, and a limited understanding of what localization entails. Further, the lack of sustained investment in local organizations, especially those in rural areas or led by women, has hampered efforts to empower Yemeni actors. Internal issues within Yemeni civil society, such as monopolies over donor partnerships, also exacerbate the problem. These issues leave international entities struggling to find effective Yemeni partners. At the same time, Yemeni local communities, civil society, and the private sector are desperate for genuine leadership.… Continue reading Analysis October 16, 2024 07:07 MIN Quarterly: July-September 2024 The Houthis’ Rise Amid the Gaza War and Red Sea Crisis: From Local Actor to Regional Force By Alexandra Nikopoulou Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) rapidly extended their support to the Palestinians, directly targeting Israel, along with Israeli and Western vessels in the Red Sea. This unprecedented crisis has bolstered the group’s regional status and resulted in the escalation of regional tensions and the emergence of a novel threat to global maritime security. Concurrently, it has provided the Houthis with added leverage at the negotiation table. The Houthis have essentially transitioned from being recognized solely as a local Yemeni actor to becoming a powerful regional player within the Iran-led Axis of Resistance. Drawing on key insights from Sana’a Center experts, this analysis follows a three-level approach to examine the impact of the Houthis’ attacks… Continue reading Analysis October 16, 2024 05:46 MIN Quarterly: July-September 2024 UAE-Backed Forces Regroup in Yemen By Eleonora Ardemagni Since 2022, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has been at the forefront of efforts to regroup UAE-backed forces in Yemen, including those that operate under its own banner. These efforts have accelerated in recent months, involving the appointment of new officials and increased cooperation with other UAE-backed actors in Yemen. There are three reasons for this campaign: to build a larger and more cohesive front to cope with possible future scenarios, from the resumption of large-scale fighting to a diplomatic breakthrough in the moribund peace process; to counterbalance the influence of the Saudi-backed Nation’s Shield forces; and to deal with persistent political-military tensions in Hadramawt, where the STC is attempting to increase its influence. Overall, the reorganization of these armed… Continue reading Analysis October 16, 2024 07:23 MIN Quarterly: July-September 2024 Egypt Maneuvers in the Horn of Africa By Maher Abu al-Majd Since October 2023, the Middle East has witnessed a series of geopolitical developments, which Cairo has perceived as a direct threat to its national security. These include: 1) the Israeli war on Gaza; 2) Houthi escalation in the Red Sea and a subsequent decline in Suez Canal revenue; 3) Ethiopia's quest for a seaport and plans to establish a naval base on the coast of Somaliland; and 4) the crisis in Libya and the potential for renewed conflict. This rapid succession of events has shattered Egypt's longstanding pillars of foreign policy, which for four decades were built on the principles of good neighborliness, non-intervention, and investing in mediation and diplomacy. In response, Cairo has undertaken a series of proactive measures… Continue reading Yemen Review section October 16, 2024 03:08 MIN Quarterly: July-September 2024 Reforming the Presidential Council By Abdulghani Al-Iryani The three most salient reasons for the collapse of the regime of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the inevitable slide into civil war were, firstly, the lack of proper representation of key political forces and social components in Yemen. After Saleh’s victory over the Socialist Party in the civil war in 1994, power was concentrated within his immediate circle, alienating other forces in the country. By the mid-2000s, even his closest ally, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, was alienated. This lack of representation was what led to protests in the south and a series of wars in Sa’ada against the Houthi movement. The second factor was a lack of government effectiveness and responsiveness. The process of state-building was stifled by corrupt… Continue reading Editorial October 16, 2024 03:48 MIN Quarterly: July-September 2024 Yemen’s Neglected Climate Crisis Severe storms and flooding have wreaked havoc in Yemen since July, affecting over 560,000 people across the country and causing extensive damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Tens of thousands – including displaced persons – have been left without shelter and clean water in Ibb, Sana’a, Marib, Hudaydah, Al-Mahwit, and Taiz. While there is no final tally as yet of the hundreds of lives lost, now there is concern over the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera. Dead bodies are being pulled out from rubble, under trees, or, in one case of a woman clutching her child in Melhan district in Al-Mahwit governorate, buried in mud – a haunting image that captures the weight of this tragedy. The extreme downpours have… Continue reading