Toward a Comprehensive Solution? Yemen's Two-Year Peace Process

Abstract

In the two years since Yemeni president 'Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi called on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to intervene against the expanding threat of the Huthi insurgency in March 2015, the conflict in Yemen has left more than 7,500 killed and another 18.8 million in need of humanitarian aid. The GCC-led intervention is only the latest phase of conflict in Yemen, which in the last 15 years has witnessed a string of armed rebellions in the north from 2004 to 2010, experienced a southern insurgency after 2009, and been the theater of American drone strikes on suspected al-Qa'ida affiliates since 2002. In addition to the GCC, Hadi also called on the United Nations Security Council to issue a resolution in support of the intervention. After 20 days of arguing, the Security Council issued Resolution 2216, demanding that Ansar Allah withdraw from captured cities, relinquish their arms, and cease any role in governance.