Recent events in Yemen have alarmingly raised the stakes in the already fragile country, with the capital and state institutions being overrun by Al Houthi rebels. Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government has made repeated attempts to bring a negotiated end to the turmoil. But, is he negotiating in vain?
Rebel leader Abdul Malek Al Houthi has proven time and again that he is not a man who can be taken seriously. He has not only worked to undermine the fragile government of Yemen, but has also sought to undermine the neutral UN mediator Jamal Benomar. Benomar has time and again announced progress in the talks with Abdul Malek only to be slapped on the face with more Al Houthi violence.
The claim that the Yemeni government has not gone far enough in making concessions with Al Houthis is outright false. Hadi has carefully tried to balance the demands of Al Houthis with those of its adversaries, and has made offers for concessions that have been rebuffed by Al Houthis and responded-to with more violence and a further violation of the Yemeni government’s sovereignty.
Whatever Al Houthis’ grievances are, resorting to violence and murder is not an option. While negotiating, Hadi should ensure that he is not perceived to be doing so from a position of weakness, with a gun to his head. Any significant concessions made now will be seen as a victory and will set a precedent that Yemen cannot afford to have repeated. Hadi would be wise to call for an end to Al Houthi violence as a pre-requisite to returning to the negotiating table.
