2/28
Peter Salisbury outlined why the UN-led peace process in Yemen has been unsuccessful thus far, and what steps Martin Griffiths, a former British diplomat who takes over the post of UN special envoy at the end of this month, can take to be more successful than his predecessors.
In a surprise move, Saudi King Salman replaced several top military commanders, including the heads of ground and air forces in Yemen. While his justification is unclear, this is likely another step by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to consolidate power and appoint a new generation of bureaucrats close to him into high military positions.
3/1
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the outgoing UN Special Envoy to Yemen, briefed the UN Security Council for the final time before being replaced by Martin Griffiths. In this briefing, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed emphasized that Yemen is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and that numerous violations against humanitarian law are being committed there.
The Washington Post summarized a joint statement issued by France, UK, US, and Germany condemning Iran for violating the arms embargo in Yemen, and stating that Iran poses a serious threat to security in the region.
Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced Senate Joint Resolution 54, which would call for the removal of all US Armed Forces from Yemen unless approved by Congress.
3/2
Al Jazeera described the social media campaign #BringDevBack, or “bring development back,” which is focused on rebuilding Yemen and promoting development opportunities after years of war. While international organizations and foreign governments are focusing on humanitarian assistance in Yemen, development funds have largely remained frozen since the start of the war.
3/3
PBS News Hour interviewed Alex de Waal, a famine expert, who recently published “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine.” In this interview, de Waal reiterated that the famine in Yemen is man-made, and that the US and other governments need to increase their investment in the peace process in order to end it.
3/4
Civilians continued to hold organized demonstrations against the Houthis in San’a in response to the Houthis closing down gas stations for nearly a week.
Paul Kawika Martin, Senior Director for Policy and Political Affairs at Peace Action, articulated his support for Senate Joint Resolution 54 in The Hill. This Joint Resolution is a critical opportunity for Congress to reassert their decision-making authority on whether or not the US goes to war.
3/5
The Houthis continue to suffer severe losses in Marib as a result of clashes with the Yemeni National Army.
3/6
The Houthis are reportedly preventing any oil and gas trucks from entering San’a in addition to shutting down all gas stations within the city. By doing so, the Houthis are hoping to generate revenue by imposing tariffs on oil and gas as well as collect tolls at checkpoints. This move is also generating a drastic increase in black market prices.