A country in the south of the Arabian peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman on the north.

Physical

Behind the western, Red Sea, coast are high mountains. The lower-lying eastern part has a coast on the Gulf of Aden. Mostly hot desert, these are areas where cotton can be grown.

Economy

The production and export of oil, a declining resource, contributes one-quarter of GDP. Other exports include coffee, dried and salted fish, and liquefied natural gas. Industry is limited but includes textiles, leather goods, food processing, and handicrafts. Most of the workforce is employed in agriculture or livestock herding. In addition to coffee, principal crops include grain, fruit, vegetables, pulses, qat, and cotton. The economy has been severely disrupted by the ongoing civil war.

History

From c.950 to 115 bc Yemen was a flourishing region called Saba—the site of the kingdom of the biblical queen of Sheba. Because of its summer rains it was known to Rome as Arabia Felix (‘Happy Arabia’), but it declined with its irrigation system around the 6th century ad. It was converted to Islam in the 7th century and came under the rule of the Muslim caliphate. Much of it was under the rule of the Ottomans (1517–1918), although the British established the colony of Aden in 1839. In 1918, with British support, the territory (excluding Aden) was proclaimed a kingdom under Imam Yahya, its borders with both Aden and Saudi Arabia for long being matters of dispute. Yahya was assassinated in 1948, and his son Ahmad ruled until 1962. On his death the army under General Abdullah al-Sallal proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen), backed by both Egypt and Syria. Saudi Arabia supported those tribes who gave their loyalty to Ahmad’s son Imam Muhammad al-Badr. Civil war lasted until 1967, when Nasser withdrew Egyptian troops, after the defeat of the Six-Day War. Sallal resigned and a more moderate government was formed. In April 1970 there was a general pacification, but in 1979 a month-long war broke out with the neighbouring People’s Republic of Yemen (South Yemen, formed from Aden and neighbouring emirates when British rule ended in 1967). Intermittent talks to unify North Yemen and South Yemen followed, with a draft constitution agreed in December 1989. The unified state was proclaimed in May 1990, its political capital being Sana’a and commercial capital Aden. A five-member Council was headed by President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The new republic was welcomed to the UN and found itself a member of the Security Council at the time of the Gulf Crisis, when its decision to oppose the US-dominated intervention, leading to the Gulf War, had strong popular support. Yet it resulted in economic reprisals by the Gulf States, by Europe, and by the USA, while some 800,000 migrant workers were expelled from Saudi Arabia. The latter also gave ‘substantial financial support’ to anti-government Islamic fundamentalists, who had a strong following among the conservative tribes of the interior. Political tensions, focusing on the distribution of oil revenues, culminated in the southern Yemeni leaders declaring secession, which prompted a three-month civil war in 1994. The war ended when forces from northern Yemen captured Aden. A peace settlement was made and the constitution was amended, the ruling Council being replaced by a directly elected President. Multiparty legislative elections were held in 1997 and presidential elections, in which Saleh was victorious, in 1999. Challenges to the regime grew in the 2000s: a rebellion in the north by Shia Muslims from 2004; disturbances in the former South Yemen from 2007; and al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism in 2008. The inspiration of the Arab Spring led to large demonstrations in Sana’a and other cities from January 2011, demanding reform and Saleh’s resignation. The regime countered with increasing violence but in November Saleh agreed to transfer power to Vice President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who would form a unity government and oversee constitutional reforms. Hadi was confirmed as President by an election (2012) in which he was the only candidate. A National Dialogue Conference was held to discuss reform (2013–14) and reached agreement on some, but not all, issues. From August 2014 the Houthis, a Shia Muslim group, staged mass protests in Sana’a and by the end of September they had effectively taken over the capital. In early 2015 Hadi fled to Aden and then to Saudi Arabia, where he established a government in exile. At the end of March, at Hadi’s request, Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies launched airstrikes against the Houthi; when these failed to dislodge the new regime, ground troops were committed to the fight. The country rapidly descended into chaos, with fighting involvingmany differentgroups, including so-called Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP). Houthi forces werepushed back a little and Aden was retaken by Saudi troops. However, the fighting continues and Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have maintained their bombing campaign. By the end of 2016 the country was in total collapse, with devastated infrastructure, water supplies, and health systems. A year later it was estimated that some 13,500 had been killed in the fighting, with at least 50,000 dead from starvation and disease; the UN has warned that millions may now die of famine unless a political resolution is found.