Yemen’s Civil War: Is The End In Sight?

The civil war in Yemen is extremely complicated. Too many players are involved, the country's economy has collapsed and there is a serious humanitarian crisis. It's an important story but it hasn't attracted as much coverage as the Syrian war. This episode of The Foreign Desk, a podcast by Monocle that won the ‘best current affairs’ category of the 2018 British Podcast awards, may help you understand it better. 

Guests on the show provide an overview of who is who in this conflict. On one side are the Houthi rebels, who have been extremely underestimated. They control a portion of Yemen's northern territory and the capital. They are viewed by some as Iranian proxies. On the other side is the Hadi government, the Saudis and coalition forces, which are backed by the United States. But this conflict also has southern separatists and other religious armed terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, which according to the experts are mostly a concern to the U.S. but are not really major players.

One major player is the Saudi prince, Mohamed Bin Salman. It's actually sad to hear the guests discuss how much the prince's reputation plays a role in this conflict. He spends $5 billion dollars per month on this war and would only consider backing off or complying with a cease fire if it would favor his reputation internationally, which has suffered after the Kashoggi murder. It's worth noting that Saudis are getting a completely biased story of the war, because there is no free press there.

Although the peace agreement signed in Sweden was good news for many as 2018 ended, the guests on the show are skeptical that it will work out. The Houthis, the Saudis and even the UN seem to understand the terms very differently and there are many questions as to whether it can be implemented. In the meantime, the majority of Yemen's civilians are suffering. Even those who live far away from where the fighting takes place are finding it very difficult to live in this ruined country.