Al Jazeera - The United Nations Strive to Create Peace in Yemen

By Seung Choi

01 Dec 2018 11:30 GMT  War & Conflict, Yemen, United Nations, Saudi Arabia, Middle East

Throughout the United Nations Security Council committee, delegates representing governments from across the world have agreed that the Yemen crisis is in an urgent humanitarian deadlock that needs immediate resolution. A crisis that has been going on since 2011, the political tension between the Hadi government and the Houthi rebels remain.

Both parties are on the record as willing to come to an agreement because the civil war has gotten out of control, and conflicts are growing as more time passes on. With the majority of Yemen’s population facing starvation, and deaths rising daily, the conflict has grown to a global issue affecting nations worldwide. The Hadi government have stated, that “in order to make progress at the issue that has been labeled as the worst humanitarian crisis on Earth, the military intervention of Iran and Saudi Arabia has to stop immediately” (sic).  While there have been many different perspectives on possible solutions to approach this crisis, the majority of nations have agreed that a cease fire is necessary to enable peace talks between the parties involved (notably the Hadi government, representatives from the Houthi rebels, as well as Saudi Arabia and Iran). Surprisingly, the United States have vocalized their thoughts against a long term cease fire. Some speculate that this is due to the large arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the United States valued around $15 billion, yet there have been minimal statements or any hard evidence to prove so. Throughout the discussion, the Houthi rebels representative has agreed to a cease fire, but on the terms that, “the marginalization of the Zaidi-Shia doctrine ceases to continue as well as the Saudi Arabia coalition [agreeing] to a cease fire as well.” An interesting topic that has been raised into discussion has not only been the opening of ports for humanitarian aid, but also the ownership of the ports. With access to the ports, the Houthi rebels have stated that they are aiming on improving the amount of humanitarian aid entering Yemen. Contradictory reports have emerged, however, that the Houthi Rebels have not only blocked foreign aid, but have also tortured detainees, used child soldiers and shelled civilian areas. Nonetheless, it is a relieving sight to see some steps towards improvement being made. With the Houthi Rebels declining to attend peace talks in Geneva, this committee has provided a platform where they can discuss their views. This has granted the Houthi Rebels some degree of legitimacy that they need, and has benefited the nationals embroiled in the center of this conflict. Countries such as Ethiopia and China have shown their support for the rebellion group acknowledging that they not only make up but represent a large portion of Yemen, and cannot go unheard for any longer. Although no definitive solutions have arisen, the progress made thus far is promising.