GCC must intervene now to save Yemen

Very few were surprised by the latest move by Al Houthis to consolidate their grip over Yemen. All the signs were there of a broken state, ripe to be dominated by a rogue group, which made sure everybody knew that they did not care about the sanctity of the state, the supremacy of the constitution and the will of the people.

Al Houthis already control 14 provinces out of 21. They have managed, since September, to subdue by the sheer power of force most of their opponents, including powerful military commanders. They got the weak government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi to accept their dominance over the security of capital Sana’a and their underserved veto over the formation of the new cabinet. In short, the president saw that coming and yet did nothing to prevent it.

Al Houthis, obviously assisted by their key benefactor Iran and intoxicated by their recent gains in the northern parts of the country, have proved that they will not honour any agreement signed with the embattled government. Yemen, thus, needs help — from the regional players specifically.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which considers Yemen as a strategic partner and a candidate to join the group, must move to regain the sovereignty of Yemen, preserve its territorial integrity and restore stability and security.

The GCC must interfere immediately to save Yemen — not only for the sake of the Yemeni people, but also for the sake of the Gulf region itself. A broken Yemen — where the dominant force is a rogue militia and with the existence of other militant armed groups such as Al Qaida — poses a clear and present danger to the security of our region.

The options may be limited, but the GCC cannot watch idly while the Iran-allied Al Houthis terrorise a neighbouring country and flex their muscles in a region already riddled with conflicts. The GCC can start with an urgent high-level meeting to assess the situation and decide on the way the Yemen issue can be tackled.