The dramatic end to coalition action in Yemen under Operation Storm of Resolve signalled agreement on a possible political solution to the conflict that was ripping that country apart. Saudi Arabia led a wide-ranging coalition with forces contributed from nations in the region to support the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled when the Al Houthi rebels and their allies captured the capital Sana’a.
The coalition acted to restrain Al Houthis and their allies from forces loyal to former present Ali Abdullah Saleh and succeeded in forcing all parties back to the negotiating table — even if the details of the final agreement were not clear and tensions clearly remained as evident from yesterday’s Al Houthi attack in Taiz, followed by Saudi counter action. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia announced that it will launch a new operation called Restoring Hope, which will focus on security at home, counter-terrorism and supporting a political solution in Yemen. This very different operation is designed to work alongside the new political reality in Yemen of an emerging political agreement. Such an inclusive agreement will have to include parties like Al Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as the government of Hadi and the newly-appointed vice-president Khalid Bahah, who had previously served as the prime minister.
There is no doubt that Yemen needs a fresh start and as a minimum, the new political solution needs to offer the country stability and security, which a new government then needs to use to stop the effects of years of negligence that have allowed the services delivered by the central government to waste away. Saleh’s habit of playing off local powers against each other, while doing very little to improve the country, was exacerbated by excessive American focus on hunting down Al Qaida elements in the country, with little attention paid to more long-term and productive issues like economic development, aid and supporting education and training. Without such a long-term commitment, Yemen’s friends will never help the country recover.
