Arabia, Israel, and the British, while the republicans were supported
U.S. Participation
in the Yemen
Genocide
“The US role in the military
operations against our nation is pivotal. All fiendish
plots against Yemen are hatched by the US, Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Traitors
just struggle to carry them out on the ground.
Washington is speaking of peace at the same time
that it is directing the Yemen war.”
- Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
“The United States has managed to reap tremendous
financial gains, including arms deals, from the
Saudi-led aggression on Yemen. Washington is
supporting the Riyadh (Saudi) regime to be able to
stand on its feet. It is also managing the violent and
criminal role of Saudi Arabia.”
- Abdul-Malik al-Houthi
A Brief History of North and South Yemen
North Yemen won independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1918,
and became a monarchy until 1962, when a civil war erupted
between royalists and republicans (supporters of the democratic
Yemen Arab Republic) [1]. The royalists were supported by Saudi
by the United Arab Republic (modern day Egypt) [2]. The war
continued for 8 years, but in 1970 the republicans won, and the
Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) controlled all of North Yemen. The
British controlled South Yemen as a colony until 1967, when the
National Liberation Front (NLF) forced the British out of South
Yemen and founded the People’s Republic of South Yemen, later
renamed the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY), a
socialist state [1].
Reunification and the Republic of Yemen
The YAR and the PDRY reunited in 1990, after the USSR fell, taking
away one of the PDRY’s closest allies. They formed the Republic of
Yemen, but in 1993 fighting quickly broke out, as the country still
split on ideological lines. North Yemen quickly won, under president
Ali Abdullah Saleh [3]. In the 1990’s, a Zaydi muslim resistance
movement against Saleh’s corruption began to form in the North,
which became Ansar Allah (popularly known as the Houthis) [4]. In
2004, Saleh’s troops killed their founder, Hussein al Houthi, and
during the following insurgency Saleh engaged in joint air strikes
with Saudi Arabia against Ansar Allah [4]. Saleh held power until
2011, when Yemeni protests (encouraged by Ansar Allah) of
economic conditions and corruption forced Saleh to yield power to
his vice president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi [3].
The Current Situation in Yemen
Hadi won an uncontested election to retain power in 2012, and was
ushered into power primarily by foreign governments including
Saudi Arabia [5]. In 2015, Ansar Allah led a revolution against Hadi’s
government. Hadi requested support and the Saudi Arabian
government launched Operation Decisive Storm. Four main groups
control territory in Yemen currently: the Saudi-backed Hadi forces,
United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council, the
Supreme Revolutionary Committee (Ansar Allah, often known as the
Houthis), and Ansar Al-Sharia (an Al-Qaeda coalition in Yemen). This is
not truly a civil war however, as Saudi Arabia controls the Hadi forces.
Saudi Arabia won’t even allow the ex-president they supposedly
support, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, to return to Yemen [6]. The Hadi
forces also have received support from the United Arab Emirates, the
US, France, Senegal, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, and others. [7]
Occupied positions in Yemen September 2018
US Weapons, Civilian Deaths
The war in Yemen has had a huge death toll, both in Yemenis
fighting for their country’s sovereignty, and in civilians, with over
56,000 estimated deaths as of October 2018 [8]. The rate of killing is
increasing, and millions of Yemenis have fled their homes in an
attempt to survive. The US is the biggest arms supplier to Saudi
Arabia, and groups have documented US weapons used in the
murder of Yemeni civilians [9]. While few US troops have been
involved, the US has shared intel about targets with the Saudis [10].
While these airstrikes have killed many Yemenis, most deaths have
come from the blockade. Saudi Arabia has blocked most ships from
reaching Yemen’s ports, even those containing food and medical
supplies. This blockade has even used US warships [11]. In concert
with the destruction bombing has caused to Yemen’s infrastructure
and US and other sanctions, this has caused a horrific famine.
According to Unicef, “there are in Yemen during any given year, 1.8
million children suffering from acute malnutrition. 400,000 children
on any given day suffering from a life-threatening form of severe
acute malnutrition” [12]. This is not a civil war in Yemen, it’s a
genocide perpetrated by Saudi Arabia, their coalition, and their
biggest international backer: the United States.
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Sources:
[1]: BBC: “Yemen Profile- Timeline”
[2]: Orkaby, Asher Aviad: “The International History of the Yemen Civil War, 1962-1968”
[3]: Al Jazeera: “Yemen: The North-South Divide”
[4]: Batati, Saeed: “Who are the Houthis in Yemen?”
[5]: Kasinof, Laura: “How the Houthis Did It”
[6]: Al Jazeera: “Yemeni President Hadi ‘Under House Arrest’ in Riyadh”
[7]: Al-Haj, Ahmed: “Saudis’ Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen a ‘Dangerous Step’, Iran
Warns”
[8]: Cockburn, Patrick: “The Yemen War Death Toll is 5 Times Higher Than We Think”
[9]: Elbagir, Nima et. al.: “Made in America: Shrapnel in Yemen Ties US Bombs to Civilian
Deaths”
[10]: Hosenball, Mark, et. al.: “Exclusive: US Expands Intelligence Sharing With Saudis in
Yemen Operation”
[11]: Emmons, Alex: “On ‘60 Minutes,’ No Mention of U.S. Role in Yemen War”
[12]: Cappelaere, Geert: “Conflict in Yemen: ‘A Living Hell for Children’”