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TRANSCRIPT
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 [email protected].
- 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
Peace out girl scouts, see you all at OCMUNC!!
- Elizabeth Upton