The Yemen Armed Conflict in the Perspective of International Humanitarian Law

Abstract

Since the Arab Spring, Yemen became the center of worst humanitarian crisis in modern history. This paper investigates the fundamental causes of the current conflict in Yemen and also explicates the legal dimension of International humanitarian law. Political marginalization, social disenfranchisement, economic collapse, the failure of the Yemeni government to address and resolve the socioeconomic frustration of ordinary citizens and corrupt leaders are few reasons which led to the brutal civil war in Yemen. This systematic failure of government and intervention of regional players for their dominance and ascendency created political uprising, violence, and institutional collapse. Thousands of civilians have died, millions of people had been displaced and millions are on the brink of starvation. Several solutions were proposed by introducing the federal system, decentralization of state's power, improving basic infrastructure, negotiations with Houthis but none of these reforms implemented properly. This paper also scrutinized the intervention of regional actors in this ferocious conflict and how regional and international actors violated International Humanitarian law.