Sana'a

News February 25, 2025 01:51 MIN The Future of Peace in Yemen is Green Amman and New York—A recent report released by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and the Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic highlights the immediate need to prioritize environmental and climate concerns in Yemen's transitional justice efforts. The report – Conflict and Climate: The Need for a Roadmap for Green Transitional Justice in Yemen – is based on interviews conducted inside Yemen and a global comparative analysis of other transitional justice processes. It argues that the intersections between armed conflict, environmental degradation, and climate change cannot be ignored. “In Yemen, where many people rely on the agricultural and fisheries sectors for livelihoods amid a severe water crisis, the impact of environmental damage caused by conflict is deeply felt,” explained Yasmeen… Continue reading Main Publications February 18, 2025 02:28 MIN Conflict and Climate: The Need for Green Transitional Justice in Yemen By The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies and Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic Yemen is facing a severe environmental crisis, the effects of which, combined with climate change and a decade of conflict, have severely undermined Yemenis’ right to a dignified life. Over the last 50 years, Yemen's temperatures have increased by 1.8 degrees Celsius. The increase in heavy rains, floods, cyclones, and other environmental degradation have led to extensive displacement and significant losses in lives, livelihoods, land, and infrastructure. Rising temperatures, heat waves, and irregular rainfall have concurrently aggravated water shortages in one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, with approximately 14.5 million Yemenis lacking access to safe drinking water. As water scarcity increases, related conflicts… Continue reading News February 17, 2025 02:58 MIN YIF III Launches in Amman with a Strong Call for a Peaceful and Stable Yemen Amid Regional Upheaval Amman, Jordan - Over 300 political representatives, policymakers, peace mediators, civil society members, and key figures from the international community gathered in Amman on Sunday to launch the third Yemen International Forum (YIF). Amidst major political shifts and geopolitical fragmentation affecting Yemen and the region in the aftermath of October 7, YIF III brings together invested parties to engage in constructive dialogue for a stable and secure Yemen. “The security of the region is contingent on the security of Yemen,” said Yemen’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Shayea Al-Zindani, in his opening remarks, urging more regional cooperation and engagement to end the war and achieve peace in Yemen. Making the stakes clear, Al-Zindani noted that “such efforts are consistently undermined… Continue reading Main Publications February 16, 2025 11:36 MIN Yemen International Forum III Background Dossier The Yemen International Forum (YIF) is the largest and most inclusive platform for policy dialogues related to Yemen's conflict and ongoing peace process. Unique in its approach, it serves as a continuous civil society-led peace initiative, providing a space for Yemeni, regional, and international engagement aimed at overcoming current crises and paving the way to a peaceful, prosperous, and just Yemen. Since its launch in 2022, the YIF has convened over 500 political representatives, policymakers, peace mediators, experts, and civil society representatives and contributed to multi-thematic peace initiatives, ranging from political and civic engagement to transitional justice, economic deescalation, and the environment-conflict nexus. As part of the YIF, consultations with Yemeni experts and stakeholders and extensive regional and international shuttle… Continue reading Main Publications February 5, 2025 27:58 MIN Houthi Detentions Leave Stark Choices for Aid Sector By Casey Coombs, and Ned Whalley On January 23, the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) detained seven UN staff members working in Sana’a. In response, the UN halted the movement of all staff working in Houthi-controlled territories as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the UN workers’ immediate release. But the incident is just the latest in a string of disappearances and detentions of UN, NGO, and civil society staff in Yemen, who are often held without charge and denied contact with lawyers or family members. In the early summer of 2024, the Houthis began to forcibly disappear dozens of Yemeni civil society organization (CSO) and non-governmental organization (NGO) workers and UN staff. These detentions were soon accompanied by unsubstantiated charges of espionage and coerced televised confessions. The… Continue reading Editorial February 4, 2025 03:09 MIN October-December 2024 A Last Chance to Tackle Corruption Yemenis have always known that the country’s politics are riven with corruption, but there’s nothing quite like scandalous revelations in the press to bring the point home. Tensions between the prime minister and president and a prolonged standoff between two veteran bureaucrats seem to have been the catalyst for a flood of media leaks that have dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s for observers and ordinary citizens alike on the deep corruption afflicting the state. News media has published details from leaked official reports detailing corruption in the telecoms sector, lavish spending at the consulate in Jeddah and other diplomatic missions, and the establishment of a US$2.8 billion commercial entity in an Omani duty-free zone by state oil firm… Continue reading Yemen Review section February 4, 2025 03:44 MIN October-December 2024 An Unlikely Syrian Scenario in Yemen By Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen The rapid and unexpected advance of opposition forces in Syria in late 2024, culminating in the overthrow of the Assad regime, has raised hopes in the anti-Houthi camp that a similar scenario could unfold in Yemen and deal another significant blow to the Iran-led Axis of Resistance. Yemenis see several parallels between their situation and that of Syria. Both the Houthis and the Assad regime were primary belligerents in a devastating civil war. Both were major allies of Iran and other Iranian-backed regional actors, such as Hezbollah. From their respective capitals, Sana’a and Damascus, both adopted a strategy that relied on specific social groups to govern and fight while excluding or marginalizing other social and political factions. However, despite these… Continue reading Analysis February 4, 2025 05:56 MIN October-December 2024 Navigating Yemen’s Ongoing Quest for Peace: Key Challenges and Prospects for 2025 By Alexandra Nikopoulou A year of war across the Middle East has profoundly reshaped the region, shifting power dynamics and redrawing the lines of local conflicts. For Yemen, the Gaza war and its repercussions have served as an intensifier to the conflict, driving peace to a stalemate and exacerbating local divisions. The end of 2024 saw an increase in fighting on several fronts, a further escalation in Houthi-Israeli tensions, and renewed hope for a Houthi retreat within the anti-Houthi camp. International efforts toward a peace settlement continued, with the process following a familiar yet flawed approach in search of a still-elusive breakthrough. In the past three months, little has changed regarding the international community’s approach to achieving peace in Yemen. The Presidential Leadership… Continue reading Analysis February 4, 2025 05:07 MIN October-December 2024 Will Al-Qaeda Change Tack After the Jihadist Victory in Syria? By Abdelrazzaq al-Jamal The sudden collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and rise to power of Islamists marks a pivotal turning point in the regional landscape. The new government is headed by the former rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Before forming HTS, Al-Sharaa was a leading Al-Qaeda commander in Syria who had also fought in Iraq alongside radical figures such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. With his transformation into Syria’s head of state, he represents a new model of post-Al-Qaeda Islamism and raises fundamental questions about the group’s future direction. HTS’ unexpected success in Syria, after spending years holed up in the northern province of Idlib,… Continue reading Yemen Review section February 4, 2025 11:08 MIN October-December 2024 Politics and Diplomacy — The Yemen Review, October-December 2024 By Casey Coombs In response to dramatic regional developments stemming from the Gaza war and domestic pressure inside Yemen, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) pivoted on several fronts. Houthi leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi quickly stepped in to fill the leadership vacuum atop the Axis of Resistance following the September 27 assassination of his Lebanese ally and mentor, Hassan Nasrallah, which severely weakened Hezbollah in its fight with Israel. Over the next eight days, Abdelmalek delivered three recorded speeches, one mourning Nasrallah, the second following a missile attack on Israel, and the third marking the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attacks. Abdelmalek argued that among Iran-allied groups, the Houthis are the most capable, most influential, and most willing and able to sustain losses on behalf of… Continue reading Analysis February 4, 2025 10:46 MIN October-December 2024 How Yemeni Religious Groups Recruit Fighters By Hussam Radman This article was originally published by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI). Conflict in Yemen over the past two decades, including the war since 2015, has been dominated by parties with ideologies rooted in religion. Religious ideologies play a key role in the policies adopted by these movements toward the recruitment of fighters into their ranks. There are four main groups in question: the Sunni Islamist Islah party, the Zaidi Shia Houthi movement, the Salafi jihadists of Al-Qaeda, and government-allied Salafis fighting in paramilitary groups backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These four currents have flourished in Yemen for decades, initially influenced by the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the Afghanistan jihad in the Eighties. Yemen… Continue reading Yemen Review section February 4, 2025 22:54 MIN October-December 2024 The Economy — The Yemen Review, October-December 2024 By Wadhah Al-Awlaqi, and Aylin Junga Yemen is experiencing a severe economic downturn as it tries to navigate long-term fiscal challenges. A World Bank report on Fiscal Vulnerabilities in Low-Income Countries released in late November highlighted Yemen’s dire fiscal situation as among the worst in the world. The World Bank’s Yemen Monitor for Spring 2024 noted that the current crisis is caused by plummeting oil and customs revenues, which had long been the backbone of Yemen’s economy. The government has also forcefully cut down fiscal expenditures, limiting the provision of essential services and jeopardizing sustainable economic development and growth. Despite attempts to address these challenges by centralizing financial control, the government’s fiscal health remains precarious. Many employees have received their salaries late. Limited Saudi support, tainted… Continue reading