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(Arabic Version)
Mar, 2021
Traditionally Yemen was a tribal society. The
country was fallen into civil war after the demise of President Ali Abdullah Saleh
due to the Arab Spring in 2011. The northern region, including the capital
Sana'a, is controlled by the Houthi tribe. Houthi belongs to Shiite sect of
Islam and is backed by Iran. It is a nuisance to the bordering Saudi Arabia of
Sunni sect.
Saudi Arabia supported the new Yemeni
President Mansur Hadi. But Hadi government was too weak in military power to
defend capital Sana’a. They moved to Aden in the south region. The Hadi government
tried to counter with the Houthi movement in association with the southern
armed militia. The southern region was, however, strongly independent oriented.
The conflict between two forces took place frequently. President Hadi was
exposed to the Houthi offensive, too. Hadi could not even defend Aden.
President Hadi and his cabinet members took
office in Riyadh of Saudi Arabia. They looked like government-in-exile[1].
Saudi Arabia could not overlook the situation and formed Arab-led coalition with
Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries including UAE and Sudan in 2015. They
had no chance of winning in the ground battle. They, therefore, carried out air
strikes. Ground battles and airstrikes devastated Yemen and resulted in a large
number of refugees, making Yemen the poorest and most dangerous failed state in
the world. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly appealed the United Nations that Hadi government
was an internationally recognized orthodox government, while the Houthis was a
terrorist organization backed by Iran which was the state sponsor of terrorism.
The Yemen civil war looks like a proxy war
between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Both of them should be blamed. But for ordinary
Yemeni citizens, the air bombing by foreign Saudi jet fighters is more
repulsive than the fellow Houthi. Houthi who battles on the ground are the same
Yemeni citizens. Saudi pilots are foreigners and they sit in the cockpit jet
fighter far above in the sky without risk. They bombed buildings, road and
bridges at random like playing a video game.
There was also a big difference between
sophisticated arms of coalition force and old ones of Houthi. Nevertheless, the
Hadi government and the coalition forces were overwhelmingly pushed by the Houthi
militia. Yemen was still an old country where tribes were dominant. Allied Southern
Traditional Council (STC) was influential local tribes and superiority in
fighting ability. Hadi government had no strong tribes. They wholly relied on
Saudi coalition forces. They cannot compete with the Houthis or even the STC. Nevertheless,
Saudi Arabia continues to support the Hadi government by raising the flag of
the coalition forces. It is because Saudi government is afraid that the Saud ruling
family would be jeopardized if the Houthi takes control of Yemen.
The UAE had supported the powerful STC. When the
internal conflict between the Hadi government and STC took place, UAE left the front with the stack of coalition force. Coalition
members other than the UAE, such as Egypt, were reluctant to intervene in Yemen
civil war from the beginning. As a result, Saudi Arabia is the only one
supporter of Hadi government in the Civil War. But Saudi Arabia has no competent
ground force. Saudi Arabia, therefore, procures frontline soldiers from Sudan
and arms like missiles, drones, and shells from the United States. Poor Sudan makes
money by dispatching mercenaries, and the United States makes money by exports
of arms as a looker-on. Saudi Arabian wallet becomes empty and debt is
increasing day by day.
The coalition force by Saudi Arabia will not
last forever. On the contrary, Saudi Arabia is under attack by Houthi’s drones
of Iranian-made and launched from Yemeni territory. Saudi Arabia desperately intercepts
with the Patriot missile. It was reported that the wreckage of a drone shot
down by US-made missile has fallen down into one private house in Riyadh[2],
Saudi Arabia is threatened its security. Crown Prince MbS, who is also the
Minister of Defense, had not to sleep well in these days.
(Cont’d)
By Areha Kazuya
E-mail: Arehakazuya1@gmail.com
