Rio 2012

Hello, let me introduce myself. I am the French Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and I have come to inform you of the situation that is becoming very difficult in this region of the world. I am therefore sending you a report on the current state of the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Since I have been here for several years, with my contacts, my knowledge and a number of investigations, I have managed to produce a report on this conflict to enable you to analyse it and, if you wish, to find out more about it. I have therefore explained to you in detail and in a precise order the situation, the actors, the resources used, the causes, as well as the results of this conflict.

Saudi Arabia and allied countries launched a military intervention in Yemen on Thursday 26 March. The operation aims to counter the advance of Shiite rebels supported by Iran.

# What's happening in Yemen? #

The head of Yemeni diplomacy, Ryad Yassin, warned that "the fall of Aden into the hands of the Houthis would mark the beginning of a deep civil war". The crisis in this poor country on the Arabian Peninsula has worsened since September 2014 when the Houthis swept into Sanaa. They invaded the Yemeni capital to challenge the power of Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and to denounce a draft constitution for a federal state that would deprive their stronghold in the north of access to the sea. The Houthis are fighting with army units loyal to former president Ali Abdallah Saleh, who was pushed out in 2012 after 33 years in power. For experts, Yemen, torn between the Houthi-dominated north and the pro-Hadi south, is the scene of a proxy war between two heavyweights of the region: Shiite Iran and the Sunni Saudi kingdom. A war that could lead to the disintegration of the country.

In addition, the Sunni al-Qaeda network is continuing its activities in the Arabian Peninsula (Aqpa), which is well established in south-eastern Yemen. And to add to the chaos, the jihadist group Islamic State recently signed up there claiming responsibility for an attack that left more than 140 people dead in mosques in Sana'a.

# In what context is Saudi Arabia intervening? #

The military intervention under the aegis of Saudi Arabia follows several calls for help from Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. His government was unable to cope with the advance of the rebels who in recent days have approached Aden, the country's second largest city, in the south. The Saudi operation "aims to defend the legitimate government of Yemen and to prevent the radical Houthi movement from taking control of the country," said Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel al-Jubeir.

# What are the forces mobilized by Saudi Arabia?

The operation has been dubbed "Decisive Storm". It was triggered during the night by Saudi strikes on various positions of the Houthis, the Shiite militia. The latter have taken control of several major cities, including the capital Sanaa, in recent months. Saudi Arabia has mobilized 150,000 troops and 100 fighter planes. But the kingdom is not alone, according to Al-Arabiya, the Saudi-owned television channel:

The United Arab Emirates have committed 30 fighter planes, Bahrain 15, Kuwait 15, Qatar 10. In addition to these Gulf countries, neighbours of Yemen, the operation is mobilising other countries allied to Saudi Arabia: Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Pakistan and Morocco, according to Ryad. Four Egyptian warships have thus entered the Suez Canal to secure the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen. No involvement of European countries has been announced. However, France has renewed its support for Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. He had been forced to flee Sana'a in February to take refuge in his fiefdom in Aden.

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