Yemen - the 'worst humanitarian crisis in the world' continues

The conflict in Yemen has been labelled the 'worst humanitarian crisis in the world' by the EU and characterised by the UN as 'entirely man-made'. The UN has warned that Yemen, already one of the poorest countries in the Arab world prior to the conflict, is now on the brink of widespread famine, which could lead to further massive loss of life. Yemen is also suffering from one of the largest cholera outbreaks in recorded history, with over one million suspected cases. The conflict has been variously portrayed as a civil war, a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and a supposedly ancient schism between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. The diversity and sheer number of actors involved in the conflict, however, demonstrates that these characterisations are far too simplistic and that the conflict defies neat categorisation. As such, the paper attempts to unpack and provide an up-to-date account of the conflict, both from a humanitarian and a political perspective. To this end, the paper explores some of the underlying causes of the conflict and the actions of the plethora of actors involved, notably the internationally-recognised Hadi government, the Houthi movement, the Saudi-led coalition, Iran, al-Qa’ida, and the West. The paper also examines Australia’s position vis-à-vis the conflict and some of the implications of the presence of foreign personnel serving as both fighters and high-ranking officers in the UAE armed forces