Suspected Islamist militants attacked an airport in the eastern Yemeni city of Seiyun on June 26, killing at least one soldier. At around the same time, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into the entrance of an army base, killing four soldiers in Hadramawt province.
NEW ANALYSIS | POLITICAL PROCESS | SECURITY | THE SOUTH | ECONOMIC & HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
Yemen’s unemployed turn to the black market
Ali Salem writes in Al Monitor that Yemen’s youth are increasingly drawn into the black market trade, particularly by selling fuel in the streets and markets in order to support their families. At the same time, given high unemployment, a growing number of Yemenis are leaving the country to make a living abroad; according to official statistics, there are about 7 million Yemeni people abroad, constituting more than 28 percent of the total number of citizens and 40 percent of the total workforce. There are also some 1,317,000 Yemeni immigrants in Saudi Arabia. [Al Monitor, 6/24/2014]
The future prospects for unity in Yemen
Mareike Transfeld writes in Muftah that current events in Yemen demonstrate that the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) are a weak basis for a new Yemeni state. A significant number of Hirak supporters, the southern protest movement, reject the NDC outcomes and continue to call for independence. Political elites in the northern capital are also reluctant to give up their grip on power and distrust the decision makers in the capital. In spite of of this, Transfeld cautions against an independent state in the south and the northern elite’s secession. She writes that only by better integrating the south and northern elites into the transitional process and addressing the grievances driving both parties can the government calm the calls for independence. [Muftah, 6/28/2014]
The American approach to fighting al-Qaida in Yemen
Adam Simpson writes in Muftah that while Obama affirmed the United States’ desire to support the rule of law in his recent speech, the president stopped short of linking this support to his counterterrorism fund. Obama also failed to acknowledge that the erosion and bastardization of the rule of law in parts of the Middle East is largely happening under the auspices of the fight against terrorism. Although described by the president as a country that has successfully “gone on the offensive” against terrorists, Yemen clearly demonstrates the failure of this narrow obsession with counterterrorism. [Muftah, 6/30/2014]
POLITICAL PROCESS
Al-Eryani calls for civil partnership over drafting the constitution
At a conference held in Sana’a on June 26, Dr. Abdul-Karim al-Eryani, Yemen’s former foreign minister and member of the General People’s Congress called on all civil society actors in Yemen to contribute towards drafting the new constitution. Dr. al-Eryani urged the authorities to organize further workshops to enable civil society organizations and political actors to come together and discuss Yemen’s institutional future together. [Yemen Post, 6/27/2014]
Women rally against Houthi advancement in Yemen
Women and children rallied against the government for failing to contain Houthi rebel activity in Amran as Houthi rebels continued their activities in Bani Matar district. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/25/2014]. In related news, Amran residents formed a civilian council aimed at protecting the city against Houthi rebel attacks and met with Amran’s governor to discuss their demands. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/26/2014]
SECURITY
Suspected Islamists stage attacks in southern Yemen
Five Yemeni soldiers and four suspected Islamist militants died in attacks in southern Yemen on June 28. Four assailants and two soldiers were killed and three soldiers were wounded when suspected militants attacked a hospital in al-Qatan in southeast Yemen. In another incident, suspected militants on motorbikes attacked a military checkpoint in al-Houta town in Lahj province, killing three soldiers. [Reuters, 6/30/2014]
Yemeni intelligence officer killed by suspected al-Qaeda gunmen
Suspected al-Qaeda militants killed Yemeni intelligence officer Ahmed Radman in Mukalla on June 22. At least twenty-five other senior officers have been killed in Yemen in 2014. [Reuters, 6/23/2014]
Islamists attack Yemeni airport as bomber hits army base
Suspected Islamist militants attacked an airport in the eastern Yemeni city of Seiyun on June 26, killing at least one soldier. At around the same time, a suicide bomber drove his explosives-laden car into the entrance of an army base, killing four soldiers in Hadramawt province. Two militants were killed before security officers forced the attackers out of the airport. [Reuters, 6/26/2014]
Yemenis protest over power outages in al-Baida
Protesters angry over fuel shortages and power outages that have lasted for six days took to the streets in al-Baida city. The Public Electricity Corporation has been unable to progress further into the city because of the on-going conflict between local tribes. In light of fuel shortages, the cost of fuel has skyrocketed; twenty liters of diesel now costs $2,400 in Yemen. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/26/2014]
Committee discusses ways of ending the violence in Amran and Sana’a
The committee tasked with ending the violence in Amran and Sana’a held a meeting on June 30 to discuss the concerns of Yemeni locals and Houthi rebels. The meeting addressed ways to treat the wounded in al-Askiri hospital in Sana’a, and the formation of local committees as stipulated by the ceasefire. On June 29, Yemen’s Defense Minister Mohammed Nasser Ahmed visited Hamdan province in a failed attempt to persuade Houthi rebels to hand over control of territories in Sana’a to the Yemeni army. [Al Masdar (Arabic), Saba (Arabic), 6/30/2014]
THE SOUTH
GCC ambassador in Yemen meets with members of the Southern Movement
Director of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Office in Yemen Ambassador Saad al-Arifi met with members of the Southern Movement to discuss the Gulf initiative and the political process in Yemen. The purpose of the meeting was to agree on ways to implement the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference (NDC), as well as to achieve stability in Yemen. [Saba, 6/30/2014]
ECONOMIC & HUMANITARIAN ISSUES
Increasing drug use strains Yemen’s services
An influx of cheap counterfeit pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs, coupled with rising unemployment, is driving substance abuse in Yemen. The rise in substance abuse is affecting the long-term health of drug users and is contributing to low unemployment among Yemen’s youth. It is also placing an additional strain on under-resourced police and healthcare departments where the problem has been particularly pronounced. Yemen’s drug problem began with the revolution in 2011, as dealers began distributing drugs for free during demonstrations. [IRIN, 6/30/2014]
Yemen to begin $3.5 billion international road project
Yemen has announced plans to build a $3.5 billion highway linking Aden to Saudi Arabia in the next three months. Together with the World Bank, the Saudi Development Fund will fund $320 million of the road’s southernmost stretch going north from Aden. [Reuters, 6/24/2014]. In related news, an official from the Yemeni ministry of planning and international cooperation said that a government delegation will visit Riyadh on June 18 to sign off on a $67 million deal with the Saudi Development Fund to fund water, sanitation, and electricity infrastructure projects in Sana’a. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/24/2014]
Oil firm DNO suspends production in Yemen
Norwegian oil firm DNO has temporarily suspended production from Block 32 and Block 43. Production from the two blocks averaged 1,600 barrels of oil per day. Operations on these blocks have been restricted since last year because of blockades by local groups restricting movement of equipment and supplies. On June 22 local labor unions initiated unilateral actions that led to work stoppages at Block 32 and Block 43. [Al Masdar (Arabic), 6/24/2014]
Yemen and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development sign $20 million deal
Yemen and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) signed a $20 million agreement at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB). The deal stipulated that the AFESD would provide funding for Ghaida Central Hospital in Yemen. [Saba, 6/25/2014]
Two private firms threaten to suspend power supply to Aden
On June 24, APR Energy and Altaaqa Global Company, two private energy suppliers threatened to suspend power to Aden governorate within forty-eight hours unless the Aden Public Electricity Corporation pays $15 million in outstanding bills. It is uncertain that Aden’s Public Electricity Corporation will be able to pay the two firms by June 26. [Yemen Times, 6/26/2014]
Report reveals that half of Yemenis live below poverty line
The first national report for social protection in Yemen released on June 26 revealed that 33 percent Yemenis suffer from food insecurity, while half of Yemen’s population is living below the poverty line. The report also revealed that 44 percent of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition. The minister of social affairs and labor stated that the Social Security Fund only covers 1.5 million families, but it is not enough to reach the larger population. [Sahafa (Arabic), 6/27/2014]