It’s been a little more than two years since Al Houthi rebels set Yemen on a path of chaos when the force, assisted by their ideological and logistical masters in Tehran, overthrew the legitimate government and deposed President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. And since then, our Arab brothers have faced a violent and uncertain future, one in which misery, malnutrition and mayhem have festered while the usurpers sought legitimacy.
Desperate to hold onto power, Al Houthis sought any friends they could in a dangerous game of attempting to conquer Yemen through division and allegiances. It has bred instability, violence and chaos — and ultimately failed.
The international community could never stand by as Al Houthis and its supporters and other militia elements aligned as former president Ali Abdullah Saleh vied for influence and control. Indeed, for the past two years, an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia — and in which the UAE is proud to be playing a leading role — is acting on United Nations Security Council resolutions to bring peace and restore the legitimate government in Yemen.
Al Houthis and Saleh’s forces make for uncomfortable bedfellows — both lack any legitimacy nor mandate, and cannot govern without each other. But this week, it’s also obvious that the two cannot live with each other either. Cracks in this uneasy alliance have appeared, with rebel strongman Abdul Malek Al Houthi at odds with Saleh, and the war of words between these two is becoming unsavoury, to say the least. Malek says Saleh will “bear the consequences” for calling the Iranian-backed rebels “militias”. He’s gone so far as to call Saleh a “traitor” — which is a little rich coming from a man whose armed forces — yes, militias — have overthrown the legitimate government. And Saleh himself is in no position to preach principles, having refused to resign in the face of widespread protests that sparked division and violence during his rule.
The schism between the two groups has reached a point where violence seems inevitable, meaning that the streets of Sana’a will dissolve once again into armed conflict, where innocents suffer, and where misery for all is prolonged.
Whatever the rhetoric, the reality is that only the international coalition has the means and ability to restore peace and stability for all in Yemen. What our Arab brothers and sisters there need are better schools, new hospitals, a stable supply of food and water and a repaired infrastructure. All that can happen if both Saleh and Abdul Malek — and all their supporters and militias — realise the error of their ways.
