With the concentration on Syria and the US-Russian impasse combined with the fallout of the Paris blasts and the flow of refugees, the attention had shifted away from Yemen. The assassination of the governor of Aden and his six bodyguards in a car bombing on Sunday has rudely woken the world to the cruel fact that things are not good. The killing has not reduced and the capability of the militant groups to penetrate high-security areas while curtailed, still has not been totally removed and the threat continues.
The loss of Gen. Saad came not even 24 hours after a UN envoy had arrived in Aden to jump-start stalled peace talks. The timing is profoundly unfortunate because it underscores the lack of Houthi intent to come to the negotiating table.
The Saudi-led coalition has been pushing back the militants with grit and determination, but as in every internal conflict the enemy is ghostly and difficult to identify since it tends to melt into the general populace and intimidate it into offering protection. The human shield then becomes a mix of armed rebels and unarmed and innocent civilians compelling the loyalists to curb their firepower and their options.
Collateral damage is not taken lightly by the coalition and avoiding civilian casualties does come with a price when the other side has no such concerns. All too often the civilians are used to do the dirty work under threat or emotional fear of retribution toward their families.
Al-Qaeda has been hostile to both the government forces and the Houthis and this new development adds another dimension to a war without any conclusion in sight. Daesh seems to be against everyone and is reportedly recruiting from Al-Qaeda cadres.
One had hoped that better sense would prevail and the Saudi offers to silence guns and end the spiral of violence would be heard but these diplomatic initiatives seem to have fallen on deaf ears in the Houthi camp. The Houthi leadership must realize that this is their country and by their refusal to stay Yemeni and sit with the loyalists they are helping the fringe elements from outside to take away their land and fragment it.
The other negative fallout as the coalition begins to deal with two inimical entities is that humanitarian efforts to rebuild the cities stops and stutters when violence rises.
There is little doubt, regrettable though it may be, that we will be seeing an up in the action from the Arab coalition and a concerted effort to move against the rebels, get them out of their enclaves and have them disarmed so that Yemenis, of all groups as a nation can begin the task of rebuilding its country and collectively ensuring that the militant groups do not make Yemen their headquarters.
