Non-state armed actors and contested sovereignties in internationalized civil wars: the case of Yemen’s civil war (2015-)

Abstract

The 2015 civil war in Yemen has given rise to an assortment of local fiefdoms that contest the power and authority of the internationally recognized government. Some of them resemble proto-states and exert a variety of sovereign functions, such as providing security and services. The Houthis have the most developed proto-state, but similar entities exist in areas, which are nominally under government’s control. This article claims that the rise of parallel sovereignties across Yemen stem from the legacy of neo-patrimonialism and hybrid security and political orders dating back to Saleh rule, but their specific character and the extensive fragmentation of the anti-Houthi camp are the result of the particularities of the 2015 external intervention. Contrary to Houthis, who receive limited and focused support from Iran, the anti-Houthi camp is ‘blessed’ with several regional supporters that hold divergent interests and funnel support to their preferred local allies, leading to fragmentation and the multiplication of local fiefdoms.