Essay: Disarmament and International Security Committee SFMUN Conference

Disarmament and International Security Committee 2017 SFMUN Conference
SFMUN- DISEC TOPIC 2- BACKGROUND GUIDE
 
Disarmament and International Security Committee 2017 SFMUN Conference
Topic 1: Disarming Houthi Rebels in Yemen Topic Background
The northern parts of Yemen began a moderate theological movement preaching peace among the Yemeni people in 1992. This movement was predominantly propagated by the Houthis, a Zaidi Shia led socio-political movement that emerged from Sa’dah. Their first organization ‘The Believing Youth’ established school clubs and summer camps in order to promote a Zaidi revival. It began as religious and cultural revivalist movement among practitioners of Zaidi Shi’ism in northern Yemen. The Zaidis are a sect found almost exclusively in Yemen. The Houthis are
officially known as Allah Ansar, meaning the ‘Supporters of God’. The initial aim of the movement was to bring about an end to economic
underdevelopment and marginalization in Zaidi area and obtain greater autocracy in their areas of dominance. They became politically active in around 2003, opposing Saleh for backing the U.S.led invasion of Iraq. They repeatedly fought the Saleh regime under the leadership of Hussein Badreddin al Houthi who was killed by Yemeni forces in 2004 and in 2009, they fought against an intervening Saudi force.
The insurgency continued erratically until a ceasefire agreement was reached in 2010. In 2011, the Houthis played a major part in the Yemeni revolution, leading to the removal of longstanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh. They even participated in the National Dialogue Conference held afterwards with the aim to smoothen the transition between the two governments, but failed to concur.
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In post Saleh Yemen, the movement gained support from far beyond its northern base for its criticisms of the UN backed transition. The causes of the initial rebellion and the consequent militarization by the Houthis can be
traced back to the to the political effects from the unification of Yemen in 1978.
Growing stronger with the support of various other such groups belonging to varied regions and sects in Yemen and emboldened by the support from the former President, who has under his influence many of the military troops and has now changed sides and deeply supports the Houthi cause, it was in 2014 that they took charge of various strategic parts of Yemen, and are now at the centre of international conflict.
Current Situation
Yemen’s ongoing crisis is widely considered to be one of the deadliest the Arab world has seen in a decade. It began in 2014, when the Houthi rebels and allies loyal to long standing former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In a dramatic turn of events, he took control of large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital city of Sana’a. They further established a new government in Sana’a forcing Hadi and his close supporters to flee to Aden, and later Saudi Arabia.
Following the removal of government rule in the state, a coalition of Arab states led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognised Hadi government, launched a campaign in March 2015 against the Houthi rebels consisting primarily of air strikes.
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This campaign coupled with that of counter attack by the rebels and had a deep impact on the conflict ravaged country in humanitarian as well as political terms.
Between 26 March 2015 when the Saudi led coalition began bombing rebel forces, and 16 October 2015, the UN recorded 7655 civilian casualties, including 2,577 killed and 5,078 wounded. By June 2016, health facilities from the UN reported that more than 10,000 people have been killed and more than 31,400 injured since mid-March 2015 – an average of 113 casualties per day. This fighting has had devastating humanitarian consequences, with nearly 21.2 million people—four out of five Yemenis—needing some form of humanitarian assistance with nearly 7.4 million among them, having severe food insecurity.
Already one of the poorest countries in the region, this conflict brought Yemen on the brink of a famine. The United Nations has since declared the humanitarian emergency in Yemen to be as severe and complex as those in Iraq, South Sudan, and Syria.
Amid the factional fighting, extremist group AQAP has seized the fragile situation of the country, capturing expanses of coastal territory. While the Arab coalition has devastated Houthi positions, ammunition depots and bases, it had largely failed to pave the way for the recapture of the capital, Sana’a, and other strategic cities in the country.
Recent UN mediated talks held between the two parties in Kuwait, concluded early in August that year, without a breakthrough, with Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy on Yemen declaring a month long suspension of the talks but denied their failure. The adjourning came after the Houthi fighters and their allies rejected a UN peace plan and in defiance announced the appointment of a 10 member governing body to run Yemen
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as they believe that the plan refused to meet their key demand for a unity government. However, it was noted that the parties were willing to negotiate in the future and reach a consensus.
The stability of Yemen, hence, where extremist groups such as al Qaeda
and Islamic State are vying for influence, along with its internal political turbulence has been a cause of great concern for the international community. The ongoing conflict in Yemen is the outcome of years of the international community mishandling and neglecting the situation in the country, which has time and again been home to internal unrest since its unification. Impoverished but strategically important, this tussle for power in Yemen has serious implications for the region and the security of the West.
Armed Conflict
A direct consequence of the turmoil due to the transition of government from the allegedly corrupt regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh who had been forced to resign due to international pressure and internal protests in 2011, was the lifting of fuel subsidies in July 2014 by President Hadi. Under the pressure from the International Monetary Fund, that sparked the Houthi movement, the Houthis had garnered support beyond its base even among communities from different regions of the country. Due to their skepticism on the UN transition process, the Houthis organised mass protests demanding lower fuel prices and a new government. Eventually, Yemen saw what is perhaps one of the most dramatic rises to power in the Arab world, The Houthis capturing the capital city. Reneging on a UN peace deal brokered that month, they consolidated
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control of the capital and continued their southward advance. Hadi’s government resigned under pressure the following January, causing President Hadi to flee to Aden and the Houthis declaring a constitutional fiat.
This was just the beginning of a conflict which would tear the country apart in a very short span. With the military units loyal to President Saleh who was allying with the Houthis and contributing to their success on the battlefield, other militias mobilised against the Houthi Saleh forces, aligning with elements of the military that remained loyal to the government.
With Hadi in exile at Saudi Arabia which launched a military intervention with a coalition of Arab countries with the aim of restoring the Hadi administration, the forces clashing against each other in Yemen paved way for immense destruction of property and life and also for the rise of extremists such as AQAP and IS. While this war was being waged, the country was pushed into deeper inner turmoil due to southern separatists ramping up their calls for secession. Early in the year, before a set of UN mediated peace talks in Kuwait, Southerners turned out in large numbers in Aden to call for independence from the North. In Parades Square in Khormaksar district and elsewhere in Aden, thousands of secessionists demonstrated on the eve before the scheduled April 18 talks in Kuwait. Protests continued into April 18. Speeches were made by the Aden Police Chief Shalal Ali Shaye’a and the Aden Governor Aydarus Al Zubaidi, with
both office holders being southerners previously active in the Southern
Movement. While these speeches were aimed to calm the crowds, the fact that Hadi’s government is not perceived as legitimate by many in the South, continues to challenge the his government in its de facto capital at Aden.
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Moreover, southerners and other sub-state actors were not represented at the UN led talks. At the same Bme, low level fighting, not factored into high level peace talks in Kuwait continued along established frontline throughout Yemen even under the ceasefire, although significant fighting was tapered
off. The Houthi-Saleh forces reversed some of the key coalition backed
gains as the April 11 ceasefire fell into place in Taiz and fighting continued in the city. They also attacked positions supported by the coalition along the road from Taiz to Aden near Kirsh, Lahij Governorate, maintaining control over the South-East entry to Taiz. At the same time, northeast of Sana’a, the coalition forces made gains against the Houthi forces, taking control over Sirwah, Ma’rib and al Jawf Governorate.
Extremist Organizations
A major cause for concern is the dramatic growth that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula(AQAP) and the Islamic State has had in Yemen, in these years of turmoil. Exploiting the lack of security and political disharmony in the state for self-growth and expansion, they are en route to becoming increasingly dangerous players in this war. An example is that of the suicide car bomb attack on an army training camp in Yemen’s second city of Aden which killed at least 54 people. The attack was claimed by IS. Moreover, the port city of Aden, the temporary base of Yemen’s Arab Gulf backed government, has seen a wave of bombings and shootings targeting officials and security forces. Meanwhile, AQAP upgraded its bomb making capabilities and could wage a sustained IED [improvised explosive device] campaign, the first suicide attack using which was recorded on May 1st.
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Both these extremist outfits have been competing for recruits in this ideal breeding ground, according to a report by AL Jazeera.
Monetary Issues
Yemen’s Central Bank is suffering a major haemorrhage of cash. The war
has taken its toll on the country’s foreign reserves as they have siphoned about $4 billion in November 2014 to their current critical level of $1.3 billion. About $100 million per month is also said to be diverted to support the Houthis, who have gained access to the reserves. In a brief to the Security Council on Yemen, the Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed expresses concern over the liquidity crisis in the country which has led to the delays in the payment of salaries of civil servants. The lack of external support, revenue and shortage of liquidity makes it nearly impossible for salaries to be paid in the coming months. This is of grave concern, as the stoppage of salary payments risks driving many more Yemenis into destitution and vastly exacerbating the humanitarian situation.
Measures taken by the Yemeni Government
In the March 2016 talks between the parties, agreements were made for cessation of hostilities, following confidence building prisoner swaps, to facilitate the start of negotiations in Kuwait. By the end of the recent round of talks which led to the Houthis disregarding the projected UN peace plan, the Hadi government strongly believes that the disarmament of the Houthi forces is crucial for the peace talks to pave way for constructive discussions and negotiations.
Disarmament and International Security Committee 2017 SFMUN Conference
A pause in fighting is extremely crucial, not just for peace talks but also for Yemeni forces to focus on pushing back al-Qaeda, disregarding which can have major implications, not only in Yemen, but the world.
International Community
Coalition of Arab countries against the Houthi rebels
A coalition of Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia has been fighting in favor of the Hadi government to defeat the Houthis in Yemen. The Saudi led intervention aims at reducing the power that Houthi rebels and their allies currently hold in Yemen. It hopes to coerce them into disarming and retreating from their strongholds, thereby paving the way for the government of Yemen to politically restructure the country and bring in some semblance of stability. This coalition includes the countries Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Sudan, the UAE, Morocco, Jordan, and Senegal. In practice, however, apart from Saudi, only the UAE has played a significant military role, including contributing ground troops that enabled Hadi’s return to Aden. They have been blamed for a huge number of casualties, with civilian deaths increasing rapidly since the start of their campaign due to repeated air strikes over markets, schools, mosques and hospitals.
They stand accused of some of the gravest abuses amounting to war crimes in Yemen. Increased damage to key logistical infrastructure, including bridges, hospitals, airports and seaports, due to this full blown armed conflict has also severely hampered the movement of crucial humanitarian
supplies, leaving thousands to suffer. Also, Amnesty International has documented more than 30 air strikes by the coalition that appear to have violated international humanitarian law resulting in 366 civilian deaths and
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272 civilian injuries. A report on May 6, 2016, by the Human Rights Watch has claimed that Saudi Arabia has dropped US made cluster munitions near civilian areas in Yemen. These are lethal explosive weapons, which can cause horrific injuries long after the initial attack and are banned under international law.
Countries such as UK and members of the European Union such as Germany, Spain and France have been accused of supporting Saudi Arabia in this war by supplying arms and ammunition, despite Saudi being widely condemned and accused for committing war crimes and escalating
an already severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
As per the Campaign against Arms Trade, the UK for one has licensed £2.8 billion of arms to Saudi since bombing of Yemen began in March 2015 and
£6.7 billion of arms to Saudi since David Cameron took office in 2010. Arms of British origin used by the coalition have also found in several areas of civilian inhabitation.
The Islamic Republic
The Islamic Republic of Iran, is also a key international factor in this conflict. A political ally of the Houthi Rebels, it has deeply vested strategic interests in Yemen. Largely seen as a bystander in the conflict, the nature and scope of Iranian support for the Houthis, however is a matter of debate. Iran is the principal Shiite power in the region whose regime claims the legacy of the 1979 revolution, which the Houthis are said to admire.
Iranian support for the group, according to officials cited by Reuters, is reported to include money and weapons. This claim has however, been
denied by both parties. As an indication of Iran’s growing influence in
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Yemen, Reuters reported in March 2015, that two Lebanese Hezbollah operatives supported by Iran and held captive there had been released since the Houthis came to power. However, despite influence it enjoys, Iran hasn’t been seen pushing the Houthis to look for more peaceful solutions to the conflict. Moreover, the participation of Saudi Arabia as a pro-government force and the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, calls for Iran to carefully consider and expand its influence in the conflict.
The power tussle, built mostly along sectarian and ideological lines Saudi Arabia as the leader of the Sunni Muslim world, and Iran as the leader of the Shia Muslim world, has the two countries engaged in their own decades long strategic rivalry for power and influence in the Middle East, with Yemen as their latest playground. With Iran supporting the Houthi rebels, it gives Saudi even more incentive to back the Hadi government and defeat the rebels, hereby reducing the influence of Iran in the area.
Being on the southern border of Saudi which can be likened to a sieve in terms of ancient smuggling routes still used by those wanting to covertly enter the kingdom, Yemen could serve as a potentially friendly base of operations in Iran’s rivalry against Saudi Arabia. For Iran, easier access to Yemen means easier access to Saudi Arabia. Being a country with more than 35% Shia population, a friendly relationship with a Yemen, dominated by the Houthis, appears to be a coveted position for Iran.
With the attack by an airstrike near the Iranian embassy by the Saudi coalition in January this year and Iran initially accusing Saudi Arabia of bombing the compound directly, tensions between the two countries have escalated. While Iran’s role in Yemen remains limited and low cost as of now, should the occasion call for it, Iran could be a crucial and deciding factor in this war.
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The United States of America
The USA is a supporter for the Arab coalition, albeit unwillingly, providing logistical, maritime and intelligence support to them and has recently placed a small number of ground advisors to support Arab forces battling alQaeda as per military sources. As a backer of Saudi Arabia, it has vested interests in the outcome of this conflict as a reestablishment of the Saudi backed Hadi government.
The main concern of the US also appears to be tackling the AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), considered to be one of the deadliest branches of the terrorist group. AQAP has, amid the mayhem captured huge parts of the country and is hence a growing concern for anti-terror outfits. Moreover, even the Islamic State, a relatively less influential outfit in the region, has been gaining influence and has captured huge expanses of land. The US government regularly launches air strikes on alQaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group targets in Yemen. Recently, Amnesty International confirmed that a US made bomb was used in the airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital on 15 August which killed 11 people and injured 19 others.
Past International Action
The Security Council in its 7382nd meeting, on 15 February 2015 unanimously adopted Resolution 2201(2015) with a view to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen.
The Security Council in its 7426th meeting on 14 April 2015 unanimously adopted Resolution 2216(2015), to instate the previous Resolution 2201.
Disarmament and International Security Committee 2017 SFMUN Conference
The council demanded an end to the violence in Yemen and imposed sanctions on the key figures in the conflict. The Security Council demanded the various parties in the conflict ravaged country, especially the Houthis to immediately and unconditionally end all violence, disarm itself and refrain from partaking in any further actions that threatened the political transition in the country.
Adopting resolution 2216 (2015) by 14 affirmative votes to none against with one abstention (Russian Federation), the Council also demanded that the Houthis, withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict, relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, cease all actions falling exclusively within the authority of the legitimate Government of Yemen and fully implement previous Council resolutions. Acting under chapter VII of the UN Charter, the council also called upon the Houthis to refrain from committing provocative actions or threatening neighboring States, urged them to release all political prisoners, including the Yemeni Minister of Defence and end the recruitment of children.
The resolution imposed sanctions, including a travel ban, arms embargo and a general assets freeze on Abdulmalik al-Houthi, who it called the leader of the Houthis, and Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, son of the former President Saleh who stepped down in 2011. The resolution also called upon all Yemeni parties to abide by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a council comprising of Arab States of the Gulf aimed at bring better cooperation in the region, and other initiatives to help resume the United Nations brokered political transition in Yemen smoother.
The resolution requested the Secretary General to brief the council with a report on the implementation of the resolution in 10 days. Strongly
reaffirming the need for all parties in the conflict to ensure the safety of
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civilians and urged them to facilitate the evacuation by international organizations and concerned states of their personnel and citizens from
Y emen.
The United Nations has been actively trying to resolve this issue, anticipating a war like situation since the rebel uprisings in early 2011. Its
efforts are led by the Special Envoy of the Secretary General, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. In June 2015, the first rounds of peace talks were convened
in Geneva by the Envoy, following which a second round of intra-Yemeni discussions between the Hadi government and the Houthi rebels and their allies took place in Switzerland in December 2015. Early this year, on 10 April 2016, a cessation of hostilities came into effect between the parties to the conflict, which paved the way for further talks with peace negotiations resumed in Kuwait.
The most recent UN mediated talks between the parties from April to August 2016, under mounting world pressure were held with the aim to reach an agreement on ending the violence and devastation in the conflict driven country. However, as of August 2016, the two parties could not reach a consensus.
The talks were then terminated with the Houthis rejecting the UN peace plan and declaring a 10 member body to govern Yemen, hereby completely neglecting the demands of the council. The Houthis rejected the plan on the basis that their key demand of having a greater say in the Yemeni government had been neglected. They also failed to retreat from the capital cities and their strongholds.
However, it was noted that the Special Envoy Ould Cheik Ahmed announced that the process would enter a new phase after a one month break
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during which “the focus will be on working with each side separately to crystallise precise technical details”. The fact that while leaving, both the parties were willing to come to the negotiating table and reach a suitable
outcome for the better of Yemen has been a positive step in the efforts of the council in the direction of restoring peace in the country. Preparations are under way for a new round of UN mediated talks at a time and place to be announced.
Response by the International Community
The war like situation in Yemen has attracted the sympathies of many nations for the Hadi government. With many nations now supporting the Saudi led coalition, the international community is largely working towards coercing the Houthis into disarming and retreating from major cities in the country and thereby paving the way for the Hadi government to bring a semblance of political stability in the country in these crucial times.
Keeping in mind the already impoverished state and financially fragile state of Yemen even pre conflict, the reconstruction will depend not just on peace but regional donors as well at a time when Gulf oil revenues are shrinking. This must go hand in hand with measures for the political stability in the land.
However, it being a geopolitical tragedy, the international community largely appears to be powerless in bringing peace to this ravaged land. Despite the strong campaign led by the Saudi coalition which has been somewhat successful in bringing down the influence and control of the rebels, the emergence of extremists such as AQAP and IS, is worrying. The
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conflict continues to rage and with it the dire humanitarian consequences faced by the citizens. Moreover, with the vested interests and proxy war between the two influential nations the region, Saudi Arabia and Iran, the cause of Yemen seems to have taken a backseat.
Other nations too do not seem to help provide a friendly platform for bringing peace. The actions of the United States, Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to have largely contributed to Yemen’s plethora of problems. Not only is the USA rumoured to have supplied arms to the Saudi-led coalition, but has more importantly failed to push Saudi Arabia to pursue a peaceful solution, seeing the Houthis as an Iran backed enemy. It appears to simply reassure Saudi Arabia of its position in light of the recent Iran nuclear deal. Amidst the crisis in Syria, influential nations such as Russia, China and the US have not taken a strong enough role in pushing for renewed Yemeni peace talks. Oman too has decided to keep a neutral position on the matter and has refused to join the Saudi led coalition of Arab states against the Houthis.
The crisis in Yemen has disastrous humanitarian implications and has invoked the sympathies of various international organizations such Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which have strongly condemned both sides of the conflict. All involved parties are accused of committing grave war crimes and have time and again led to the violation of human rights of the Yemeni people, who have been trapped in this war of political interests. The lack of a constructive path to peace has banished them to a gross negligence of their rights with the absence of bare necessities such as food and medication. The UNDP and UNAID too, have been actively helping better the situation in Yemen.
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Ultimately, the foreign powers must compromise their own positions, sacrificing some degree of self-interest, to find a peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis, which many believe lies in political consensus rather than warfare.
Questions to Consider:
1. What form of mechanisms for resolving this crisis exist?
2. How much has the Resolution 2216(2015) of the UNSC helped in
controlling the situation in Yemen?
3. How can the measures that already exist be harnessed towards
arbitration?
4. What other measures can the international community take towards
the disarmament of non-state actors and rebel groups in the region of
Yemen?
5. What measures can the international community take to end the civil
war in Yemen?