The response of regional and foreign leaders over the war in Yemen is beyond expectations.
Various governments and international institutions have frankly expressed their views on the unfolding events in the impoverished country. Most of them issued statements underlining the importance of protecting the Yemeni regime, which was threatened by the nefarious designs of the Houthi rebels. Had the Yemenis been left alone to fend for themselves, the country would be pushed into a long and dangerous civil war, much like what is happening in Syria and Libya.
The Hadi regime should be appreciated for being patient during the past negotiations with all the stakeholders including the Houthis, during which concessions were made to both those who opposed and rejected the regime and those in its favor. It was all for the sake of reaching a deal amicably in the greater good of Yemen.
However, when those who opposed the regime resorted to violent methods, seized the capital and a number of governorates, and tried to assassinate President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, after placing him under house arrest and detaining high-ranking government officials, the only option left was foreign military intervention. After all, the Yemeni government is a legitimate government with no military power in its confrontation against a gang.
This is what pushed most regional governments and superpowers to support the military move in Yemen. Attacks were only launched after meeting all required conditions and legal justifications. They were also only launched after the establishment of a coalition, which expresses the concerned countries’ stance as well as the inclusion of regional institutions, such as the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The operation also gained the support of the United States and the United Kingdom, while the United Nations had recognized Hadi’s legitimacy and the legal right to call for intervention after the rebels chased him to the temporary capital of Aden, threatening to kill him. Thus, most countries frankly supported the ongoing military campaign, Decisive Storm.
Some, such as Iran and Hezbollah, opposed the attack. This was expected considering their ties with the Houthis from the very beginning. However, generally speaking, this military campaign is one of the few politically, diplomatically and legally organized campaigns ever, and this is what led the states that had doubts at the beginning of the campaign to declare their support the next day. Although the fighter jets shelled posts, which had been previously singled out and targeted rebels’ posts and forces, the political solution, as formulated by the UN representative, has not been ruled out. The main aim is not to get rid of the opposition forces as this is impossible. The basic aim is to protect the Yemeni state, its regime, institutions and figures and to protect the people and country from the chaos of fighting and civil war.
The military campaign has a political role as well. It is to push all parties toward a solution under the UN umbrella and according to what UN Security Council members have agreed on. Armed rebels must realize that the transitional Yemeni government that does not harness significant military power is in fact legitimate and that there is a large military force, which is willing to protect it if needed. The second chapter after the military campaign is political and it’s about the return of all parties to negotiations for a political solution, which does not exclude anyone.
Yemen was and still is a matter of concern for the United Nations. UN Special Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar, who has been working non-stop since the beginning of the revolution in 2011, has been regularly submitting his reports to his overseers. He had supervised the reconciliatory solution by assigning the transitional government and an interim president to hold elections for Yemenis to choose whomever they want to lead them.
Isolated former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Houthi rebels decided to challenge the reconciliatory plan and resorted to force in order to sabotage the political process and seize power. They deployed their armed members in several cities and governorates in order to subjugate the Yemeni people by force. Those well-versed with the Yemeni case can understand and support the efforts of the UN and the needs of Saudi Arabia — the biggest country neighboring Yemen — and the rest of the GCC, that are directly affected by Yemen’s security, to militarily intervene to support legitimacy.
Those who try to make the battle look like it’s a war with no international plan and no legitimacy only care about continuation of unrest in a country, which is already suffering from a lack of resources but has an abundance of arms and is on the verge of a civil war.
