Why in News?

• After eight years of crushing civil war in Yemen, a new round of talks this week has raised a glimmer of hope for a breakthrough in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• The Yemen Civil War (Background, Beginning)
• News Summary Regarding Peace Talks in Yemen

The Yemen Civil War:

 Background:

• The wave of protests known as the Arab Spring did not take long to arrive in Yemen after the Tunisian Revolution (2011–2012).
• Yemen, only unified since 1990, was a poor country with a government widely acknowledged to be corrupt, with a large number of weapons in private hands. It had deep divisions that persisted between the north and south.
• By 2011, the country was already facing challenges from al Qaeda-linked militants and separatists in the south and Zaydi Shia Muslim rebels in the north.

The Beginning of the Civil war:

• In September 2014, the Houthi insurgency (predominantly a Iran-backed Zaydi Shia force) transformed into a full-blown civil war as Houthi fighters swept into the capital of Sana'a.
• The rebels continued to apply pressure until the internationally recognised government was ousted in January 2015.
• The Houthis declared themselves in control of the Yemeni government, dissolving the Parliament, and installing an interim Revolutionary Committee.
• The then President (Hadi) escaped to Aden and declared himself Yemen's legitimate president and proclaimed Aden as the country's temporary capital.
• The Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in an attempt to restore the (Hadi) government, launching a devastating bombing campaign that lasted years.
• 

 The world’s worst humanitarian crises:

• Even before the war, Yemen was the poorest Arab country.
• But the conflict mired the Yemenis into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and pushed the country to the brink of famine.
• The UN estimates the war had killed 377,000 people as of the end of 2021, both directly and indirectly through hunger and disease - 70% of those deaths are children.
• About 24 million people - 80% of Yemen’s population - are in need of humanitarian aid. 

News Summary Regarding Peace Talks in Yemen:

• What has changed now?
  • A surprise rapprochement/resumption of harmonious relations between two regional powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran - who fed a proxy conflict that worsened the war.
• Who is at the talks?
  • The negotiations in Yemen’s capital, Sana, bring together Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
• What are they trying to achieve?
  • Negotiators are seeking the reinstatement of a truce and a complete withdrawal of foreign forces from Yemen.
  • The negotiators also want to pave the way for broader talks to resolve Yemen’s multifaceted political conflict and repair its demolished economy.
• Why does the détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran matter?
  • Both Riyadh and Tehran are keen to prove that their diplomatic efforts were instrumental in bringing calmness to Yemen.
  • Saudi officials are eager to end their military involvement in Yemen, which has been expensive and damaging to the kingdom’s international reputation.
• Will these talks end Yemen’s conflict?
  • Without genuine support within the country, among the Yemenis themselves, a political resolution cannot take root.