An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 29 a federal Yemeni state comprised of six autonomous regions. However, this proposal was rejected by the Houthi movement, a mainly Shia Muslim military/political group formed by members of the Zaidi sect, who had been involved in a low-level conflict with government forces for over a decade from their stronghold in Northern Yemen The new president struggled to deal with many of the problems afflicting the nation, including al-Qaeda attacks, a separatist rising in the south, divided loyal- ties in the military, corruption, drought, famine and mass unemployment. In response to the situation, Houthi forces attacked the capital, Sana'a, in Septem- ber 2014, taking total control of the city in January 2015. The Houthi action prevented President Hadi from establishing the planned federal state and he fled to Aden (the bustling port city and former British possession), and then on to Saudi Arabia. Yemen's neighbours were not happy with the situation, particu- larly as it was believed the rebels were receiving arms and support from Iran. A coalition of Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, launched a military campaign (Operation Decisive Storm) in March 2015 to defeat the Houthis and restore President Hadi and Yemen's government. Saudi combat aircraft pummelled targets in Yemen with state-of-the- art weapons systems while ground forces prepared to invade. Jihadist militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and affiliates of Islamic State (IS) have also taken advantage of the chaos by seizing territory in the south and carrying out a number of deadly attacks in the region. This has drawn US forces into the conflict as they hunt down suspected militants. Ground troops from the Arab coalition landed in Aden in August 2015 and helped drive the Houthis and their allies out of much of the south over the next few months. However, the Houthis have managed to hold Sana'a and continue to fire mor- tars and missiles across the border into Saudi Arabia. Fighting has intensified in recent months, with coalition ground forces, supported by air strikes, slowly driving the Houthis back from their positions. In response, the Houthis have used snip- ers and IEDs to slow down the coalition's advance. Casualties have been heavy and the advance slow as roadside bombs, often disguised as rocks or sacks of wheat, are detonated as advancing troops pass by. The launch of missiles into Saudi territory has prompted the coalition to tighten its blockade of Yemen, an action they say is necessary to stop the smuggling of Iranian weapons into the country – an accusation Iran denies. However, the UN says that this blockade could trigger 'the largest famine the world has seen for many decades'. In addition, aid workers have warned that the assault on Hodiedah's port, known as 'the mouth of Yemen', could shut down the vital route that supplies 70% of Yemen's food and humanitarian aid. At the time of writing, three days of fighting in and around the port have resulted in multiple casualties, al- though the port is still functioning. The attacking coalition forces are insisting that the Houthis surrender unconditionally; rejecting proposals that would see the rebels remain in the city while the port would be placed under UN control. It is almost impossible to calculate the casualty figures within the country but as of March 2018, it is estimated that 10,000 Yemenis have been killed by the fighting, with more than 40,000 casualties overall. The bombing of towns and villages has caused mass civilian casualties as well as leading to the displacement of over three million.

• Cover