Here we get a little background from a Guardian journalist about what is happening in Yemen and why.
Yemen: understanding Houthi motives is complicated but essential
The country attracts attention due to the jihadis of al-Qaida, but for Yemenis the Houthi movement is a far more important player
Armed members of Houthis gather at Sebin Square as they close the Sebin Road to traffic near presidential palace following the conflicts in Sana'a, Yemen. Photograph: Getty
Ian Black, Middle East editor
Monday 19 January 2015 14.16 EST
Yemen usually only attracts attention in the west because of the dangers posed by the jihadis of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), most recently because of the group’s claim to have been behind the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris.
But for most Yemenis the Houthi movement is a far more important player – one that is capable of reshaping the complex political landscape of the poorest country in the Arab world and is now engulfing Sana’a in a wave of violence.
The Houthis, who hail from Yemen’s northern Sa’ada province, get their name from their late leader, Hussein Badruddin Houthi, and are now led by his brother Abdulmalik Houthi, a charismatic figure who is often compared to Hassan Nasrallah of the militant Lebanese organisation Hezbollah. The Houthis have been fighting the Yemeni central government since 2004, when the movement was founded to strengthen the rights of the Zaidi sect – who represent between 20-30% of Yemen’s population – and challenge what was seen as the pro-American stance of the country’s veteran president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, after the 9/11 attacks.
Continue reading at:
Yemen understanding Houthi motives is complicated but essential World news The Guardian?
Yemen: understanding Houthi motives is complicated but essential
The country attracts attention due to the jihadis of al-Qaida, but for Yemenis the Houthi movement is a far more important player
Armed members of Houthis gather at Sebin Square as they close the Sebin Road to traffic near presidential palace following the conflicts in Sana'a, Yemen. Photograph: Getty
Ian Black, Middle East editor
Monday 19 January 2015 14.16 EST
Yemen usually only attracts attention in the west because of the dangers posed by the jihadis of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqap), most recently because of the group’s claim to have been behind the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris.
But for most Yemenis the Houthi movement is a far more important player – one that is capable of reshaping the complex political landscape of the poorest country in the Arab world and is now engulfing Sana’a in a wave of violence.
The Houthis, who hail from Yemen’s northern Sa’ada province, get their name from their late leader, Hussein Badruddin Houthi, and are now led by his brother Abdulmalik Houthi, a charismatic figure who is often compared to Hassan Nasrallah of the militant Lebanese organisation Hezbollah. The Houthis have been fighting the Yemeni central government since 2004, when the movement was founded to strengthen the rights of the Zaidi sect – who represent between 20-30% of Yemen’s population – and challenge what was seen as the pro-American stance of the country’s veteran president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, after the 9/11 attacks.
Continue reading at:
Yemen understanding Houthi motives is complicated but essential World news The Guardian?
