The Battle for Yemen

Shi’a Houthi forces recently killed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) commander Mohammed Jamal in the Yemeni governorate of Taiz. Jamal died while fighting the Houthis alongside forces supported by the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia, two long-time opponents of AQAP. His death was not unique in the conflict’s shifting alliances of convenience inasmuch as AQAP mid-level commander Abu Khattab was killed four days earlier while fighting alongside the same coalition.

The byzantine Yemeni conflict has emerged as a battle against two-headed snakes. All of the state and non-state actors are engaged in campaigns against multiple opponents; some of whom are occasional or situational allies. The act of weakening one opponent strengthens another. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition, including Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Colombia, Morocco, and several Western countries, is supporting Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s efforts to defeat the Houthis and jihadists, and restore his government. The Houthis, supported by Hezbollah, Iran, and former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, are focused on governing Yemen. They seek to do this by defeating the jihadists and the remnants of Hadi’s government.