The war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen have several sides such as Saudi Arabia, Houthi militia, and now defunct Yemeni government led by Mansur Hadi, however the worst affected are the common people. United States is protecting its interest by safeguarding the lucrative arms deal and not overtly intervening to bring an end to the misery of the Yemenis. Thus, the American weapon will be continually used in the massacre of the Yemenis.
Iran is not ready to condemn the Houthis because of the sectarian link instead they are providing weapons, training as well as technology to the rebels. The war has indulged a large number of countries that are either fighting in Yemen directly or are providing arms, logistics and/or moral support to the Saudi led intervention in Yemen in support of Hadi backed forces.
The countries that are on the Saudi side include UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Sudan, US, UK, Australia, Canada, Spain, Malaysia, Finland, Bosnia, Eritrea, France, and Germany. Whereas the countries on the other side are Revolutionary Yemenis, Houthis, Pro-Saleh and Houthi backed Yemeni Army, Yemeni Republican Guards, Ahrar al-Najran, Iran, Hezbullah, Qatar and North Korea. The Muslim countries all over the world are indulged only in lip service while condemning the Yemen conflict on one side and have their troops in the 41-nation Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition which may one day be used in this war.
The war is indeed a major man-made humanitarian disaster; 17 million people including children are at the verge of starvation and thousands are dying of sense-less bombings on the civilians
It seems that both sides are united in one thing only — making the lives of the poor common Yemenis more difficult. The war is indeed a major man-made humanitarian disaster; 17 million people including children are at the verge of starvation and thousands are dying of sense-less bombings on the civilians. This humanitarian disaster is not coming to an end anytime soon as evident from the escalation of attacks on the city of Hodeida.
The Yemen war is not only a defeat to the diplomacy but also shows distrust of the very act of diplomacy itself. Saudi Arabia’s reason for getting involved in Yemen can be its hope for peace in the neighbouring country. It can also be to have a Saudi backed government in Yemen. However, in either situation, fighting between the Houthis and the Yemeni government to the point of invasion was a wrong decision and it led to mass bloodshed which is now attributed to a country which is of utmost respect for all Muslim countries because of it housing the two holy mosques.
There is a need to take certain steps immediately on the part of Saudi Arabia so as to portray Saudi Arabia’s vision of peace in its neighbourhood. First step, should be to lift the blockade of the port city of Hodeida. The Saudi government should ensure that the port is used for food supplies and for evacuating the citizens only. There should be flights available for taking the peaceful citizens out of the war zone. The children should be provided medical facilities and they should be the first to be evacuated and probably treated in Saudi Arabia, so as to ensure that they shall not be used against it in the future.
The Saudi Arabia government should engage in table talks with all factions fighting in this war. Moreover, the US and its allies should stop sending arms and weapons to Saudi government even if it comes at a short term cost of lost business opportunities. Saudi government should pay some heed to the call for peace as declared by Muhammad Ali-al-Houthi in a recent Washington Post op-ed. The US should also pay heed to the calls from within its Congress for pulling out of the war as Rand Paul stated that the “Congress never authorized American participation in a war in Yemen. And yet, here we are, involved in yet another Middle East war.”
Saudi government should also wish for peace in Yemen because this war is linking it with the banned outfits that are also fighting Houthis because of the former being Shiites. Saudi Arabia is in a proxy war with Iran in Yemen. The war is fast turning into a sectarian conflict — a Sunni led coalition against a Shia militia backed by Shia Iran. This conflict has attracted many banned outfits; Saudi Arabia strongly objected when US blamed it for its role in 9/11, therefore, it should also ensure that those that were involved in 9/11 should never fight alongside it even by chance. Those that are supporting Saudi Arabia are doing this whilst risking their own safety. They must avoid being blamed for the millions of deaths of innocent citizens by weapons and through starvation.
Peace loving nations should intervene to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen and for doing that they must use all tools including the unfortunate death of Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudi regimes’ drive for modernity. Houthi rebels too should be forced to surrender their weapons for the sake of the citizens of Yemen. A strong control of the countries that share the border with Yemen can stop the supply of weapons to the Houthi rebels. Moreover, countries such as Iran should be asked to bring the Houthis to the table (instead of providing them with missile technology) for a meaningful dialogue and an enduring peace in Yemen.
The author is an Assistant Professor
Published in Daily Times, November 14th 2018.