Topic A: Civil War in Yemen

Security Council

By: Nick Rose

Introduction

A relatively recent conflict, the Yemeni Civil War is rooted mostly in political

conflict and religious differencces, and has very little to do with underlying ethnic

conflicts. Ansar Allah follows Shia Islam, contrary to the promoted state religion of

Sunni Islam. The first signs of conflict showed when Ansar Allah, more popularly known

as the Houthis, or the Houthi Insurgency, a group with deep ties and origins in the

northern mountainous regions of Yemen geopolitically known as the Saada Governorate,

begun a grassroots insurgency against the recognized

Yemeni government in 2004, and their activity varied

throughout the 2000's with multiple negotiations and

ceasefires failing to take hold and make any promising

change on either side. The conflict went from local to

regionally widespread when the attacks heated up in 2009,

drawing in Saudi Arabia to restore the Yemeni government to control in the region, and

in 2010, when a ceasefire was signed between the belligerent parties, the Saudi

government temporarily withdrew their influence from the conflict. The ceasefire at first

looked like vital steps towards peace in Yemen, but during the spread of the Yemeni

revolution in 2011, the Houthis, along with other groups in Yemen, called for and

supported the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. As President Saleh was

preparing to leave the office, the Houthis attacked the Yemeni village of Dammaj in their

home region, something they viewed as a vital step to forming an autonomous Sa’dah.

Later, in another act of political prowess, they boycotted the 2012 Yemeni election,

which resulted in the election of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi (right) for two years, although

they did participate in the National Dialogue Conference, although it ended in failure for

them when President

Hadi’s term in the

office of president for

another year.

Contemporarily, the

fighting in Northern

Yemen continued

between the Houthis

and local Sunni tribes and spread to other neighboring governorates, including the Sana’a

governorate, which held the capital of Yemen, Sana’a in the summer of 2014. After

weeks of increasingly violent protests, the boiling issues between the Houthis and the

Yemeni government finally came to blows when they clashed with the Yemeni military

inside the capital city of Sana’a. The fighting lasted only a few days, but resulted in the

Houthi insurgents taking control of the Yemeni capital. Hadi was finally forced to the

negotiating table by this brazen act, and the Houthis proposed a ceasefire in which most

of the Yemeni government members resigned, giving the Houthis massive and

unprecedented amounts of control and influence over the national government. In early

2015, the Houthis, enraged by a proposal to split the country into six federal regions,

Houthi militants stormed the presidential compound and prompted a resignation of

President Hadi along with his ministers. The Houthis then announced that a

Revolutionary committee would govern the country. Hadi, however, escaped his captors

and fled to the town of Aden, where he announced that the Houthi takeover was an

illegitimate coup, and proceeded to declare himself still the constitutional president and

rightful Head of State of Yemen. The previous president, Saleh, sided with the Houthis,

calling on Hadi to go into exile.

External Allegiances and Allegations of Influence

Due to sharing a common sect of Islam, the standing Yemeni government, along

with major Saudi information and press outlets, have accused the Houthis of acting as a

proxy insurgency for the nation of Iran, and the United States government along with the

Saudi government have accused the Iranian government of supplying weapons and

training to the Houthis, both the Houthis, and the Iranian Government have denied any

connections. The African nation of Eritrea has also been accused of using its relatively

close geography to

aid Iran and the

Houthis by funneling

military materiel into

Yemen, which was

declared

“groundless” by the

Eritrean

Government. Meanwhile, the Yemeni Government has enjoyed extensive support from

the United States and Saudi Arabian governments by channeling money and materiel into

Yemen in support of the standing government (Although the Pentagon has reported that

hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment has gone unaccounted for), as well as

the United States funneling a portion of its massive Unmanned Arial Drone (UAV)

capabilities into fighting Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and the Pentagon

reports as of 2016, more than 240 Al-Qaeda militants have been killed by UAV strikes,

(Although the in the past year airstrikes have stepped up significantly under the Trump

administration, and are predicted to have killed at least that many in this year alone)

including two of their most prominent local leaders, Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi (Left), and

Ibrahim al-Rubeish (Right). The local Persian Gulf monarchies have also expressed

significant support for the Yemeni government in the form of financial aid, public

declarations of friendship, and public and international declarations of support.

The use of mercenaries has become widespread within the Yemeni Civil War, and it is

estimated that several thousand Saudi Arabian mercenaries, as well as several American

and British mercenary groups, are operating in the region in the aid of the Yemeni

Government, the effectiveness or deployment regions of these mercenaries is not widely

known and is not public information.

The Arab League

The Arab League, as an internationally body, has very clearly taken up support of

the standing Sunni Yemeni government. There was a multilateral agreement in the Arab

League to create a multinational voluntary joint force, described by Egyptian President

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described the event as “The Arab leaders deciding to agree on

the principle of a joint Arab force.” But, as a generalization, in recent history Arabian

nations have not have had a good history with

multinational operations or joint armies due to

deep-rooted tribal, ethnic, and religious

differences and rivalries. In the 1967 Arab

invasion of Israel, the breakdown between the

Arab nations was critical to their defeat, even

though their objectives, described by former

Egyptian President Gamal Nasser as “The

destruction of Israel,” were aligned. It has also

been stated by analysts that it is unlikely that

all 22 nations will contribute forces, nonetheless Egyptian officials have been quoted by

the Associated Press as saying that the force will comprise of some “40,000 soldiers,

supported by warplanes, naval vessels and light armor.” This, although for other regions

of the world it may seem like little, the Arab League has had an objective to form a join

force since its creation 65 years ago. The Arab League, as statements have shown, is very

optimistic about the prospect of victory after the formation of the joint forces,

proclaiming that until all Shia and Houthi rebels “withdraw and surrender their

weapons,” they will continue fighting.

Guided Questions

1. Is/has your nation been directly affected by the violence in the region?

2. What actions has your nation taken to resolve the conflict?

3. Does your nation have any active mercenaries in the region? How may this affect

your nation’s policy on the war?

4. What interests/assets/investments does your nation have in the region?

5. What relationship does your nation have to the Arab League and how may this

affect your policy on the war?

Bibliography

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-03-21/exclusive-iran-steps-up-

support-for-houthis-in-yemens-war-sources

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-iran-idUSKCN12K0CX

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-24/yemen-accuses-hezbollah-of-

helping-houthis-in-saudi-border-war

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/world/middleeast/al-anad-air-base-houthis-

yemen.html

Letter from the Chair

Dear Delegates,

My name is Nick Rose and I am in the 12th grade at Pedro Menendez High

School or PMHS for short. I am also in FBLA at the school. This is my fourth year

participating in Model UN. I will be a chair at OCMUNC, or Old City Model United

Nations XV. Some of you will have me as a Security Council chair, so be prepared.

The topics for this council include the situations in Venezuela, Burundi, and Yemen,

mainly regarding civil conflict for various reasons. I chose the Yemeni civil war for the

reason that it is an incredibly complex conflict and one that will require immediate action

and multilateral action. This is my fourth and final year, so I have experienced many

types of council as both a delegate and a chair. I expect this council to be the best one yet,

so I am optimistic and I have high hopes. I am excited to see what will come of the

council and I look forward to it. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns fell

free to contact my Secretary General at oldcitymunc@gmail.com.

- Nick Rose

Letter from the Secretary General

Dear Delegates,

My name is Elizabeth Upton and I am the current Secretary General of this dear

ole conference, OCMUNC, and the club at Pedro Menendez High School. This is my

second year as Secretary General, my fourth year in the club and sadly, my last. I am a

senior in IB, and if any of you are in IB as well, you know the pain. I also work at chipotle,

and NO, we don’t have E Coli. It’s the fifteenth year of OCMUNC! Making it the third

oldest in the state of Florida, and older than a few of our members.

The topics for this year’s conference are significant in many ways, mainly because

of the turmoil they have caused/ will cause throughout the world. Candy grams, the OG,

are coming back again this year, proceeds dedicated to the International Fund for

Animal Welfare (IFAW), which intertwines with our topic of Animal Poaching in our

UNODC council. Although I know you guys don’t particularly enjoy spending the night

before conference writing position papers, they are highly recommended but not

required. This conference is going to be the best OCMUNC yet!! If you have any

questions, concerns, or just want a new snap buddy, feel free to contact me at

oldcitymun@gmail.com.

Peace out girl scouts, see you all at OCMUNC!!

- Elizabeth Upton