The New York Times - The U.S implications in the Humanitarian Crisis of Yemen

By Ana Paula Contreras Frias

What’s going on?

The conflict in Yemen began after the Arab Spring overturned dictators across the Middle East. In 2011, President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to hand over power to his deputy Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. The failed transition of political power rose tensions among the citizens of Yemen and the government. The discontent of Yemen citizens aided in the outcome of a separatist movement in the South. Hence, the rebel group of Houthi uprising.

Houthi receives money and guns from Iran as the Sunni is backed by Saudi Arabia. In 2014, Houthi forces took over Yemen’s capital Sanaa. After Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi escaped from Yemen the conflict of powers made Saudi Arabia enforce their authority over the Houthis. By this means, in March 2015, Saudi Arabia began bombing Houthi territory across Yemen.

The UNSC tackling the Yemen Humanitarian Crisis

The UNSC is responsible for sustaining international peace and promoting security. As the UNSC is dealing with this international conflict it has also declared the Yemen Humanitarian Crisis as “The worst man-made disaster.” During the conference of the UNSC on December, 1st of 2018; the topic appointed was peaceful resolutions for the Yemen Humanitarian Crisis. Some of prepositions addressed during the deliberations were:

i) Military interventions,

ii) Proposed resolutions,

iii) Actions to be taken.

During the first deliberation (military interventions), the delegates shared their opinion on the effects of military actions against the rebels. Delegates proposed ceasing fire, and engaging on peace talks. Ethiopia stated “Military intervention is not resolving any issues, we are fighting for a country, and we are distorting the country we are fighting for.” During the second round of deliberations, most states agreed on ceasing fire permanently, but the U.S argued for ceasing fire temporarily. The major actors of the second deliberations were Sweden, China and the U.S who all had some strong opinions about their perspectives on the matter. Sweden suggested to stop military intervention, and proposed mediation between the rebel group and the government to come to a peaceful solution; by this means, viewing both sides of the conflict and understanding other people’s perspectives. Finally, during the third deliberation, the heated exchange between the U.S and China continued, as China strongly disagreed with U.S view stating that “The rebels are members of the community and therefore they need to be represented.”

How is the U.S involved?

Yemen has become a violent playground for regional and international powers. The U.S has supported the Saudi Arabian Military since WWII, and it is currently the largest retailer of weapons in Saudi Arabia. Since March 2015, the U.S has authorized 22 billion dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. The U.S objective is to restore Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi government control. The U.S is contributing to this war, not only by providing weapons to the Saudi Arabian government, but also by helping refuel Saudi Arabian planes that strike targets across Yemen. The New York Times, conducted an interview with the U.S delegation about their stance on their loyal partnership in the the Saudi Arabian coalition:

i) Does the delegation of the U.S thinks that the the U.S is profiting from marketing the war in Yemen? "I do not think this delegation is marketing from the war. We are sealing weapons to Saudi Arabia at the cost of the defense of Saudi Arabia and other countries within the region against terrorist groups. I would not call it a profit neither a business. We are responsible for the Saudi military, however the defence of Saudi Arabia from terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS is an important factor that we need to take in count. Therefore, this delegation does not believes it is not a profit, is purely defensive."

ii) What are your opinions about U.S supplied bomb that killed 40 children on Yemen school bus?

“We ask the Saudis to investigate the matter further, we don’t know if this was an intentional action, or an accident. U.S is not obviously in favor of civilians being bomb as it will be a war crime, but we are investigating the matter further”

iii) Why does the U.S still have relations with Saudi Arabia, even after the CIA has allegedly stated that Crowned Prince of Saudi Arabia is responsible for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi? "The U.S has no comment. We are still reevaluating what happened, but there is no definite prove the prince is responsible. If, it is true then the U.S will consider other options on their relation with Saudi Arabia."

iv) Is the U.S contributing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen even if they are not directly contributing to them? "There is no proof of injustices, we need a full UN investigation in the matter, as well the U.S will, however we are not responsible for that (the conflict in Yemen)."

v) Do those this delegation believe that the U.S has some shared responsibility on the matter that have transpired in Yemen? "No, the U.S is not responsible for any military action taken by a foreign government."