Explained: Who Are The Houthis Of Yemen & Why They Attacked UAE

The war in Yemen appears to be growing with every passing day. The Saudi Arabia led alliance with all its military might is fighting the Houthi rebels from Yemen.

Yemen is considered to be suffering the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and yet none of the sides appear to back off. Rather the war is seeing its effects being exported to other countries in the region. With the recent Houthi attack in UAE.

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Zaidi tribal political movement led by Hussein Badreddin Al-Houthi that developed from and is centred around Sa'dah in northern Yemen.

Houthi Attack In UAE | Shutterstock

Rose in the 1990s, fighting the central government intermittently since 2004

In Zaidi areas, they are seeking an end to economic underdevelopment, political marginalisation, and alleged discrimination, as well as more autonomy in areas where they are the majority.

Houthis are a prominent tribe who adhere to the Zaidi Shia school of thought. They predominantly live around the northern region of Yemen. Zaidi Shias are typically different from mainstream Shias in their beliefs and practices. In many ways they are similar to Sunnis.

Despite all this, Zaidis have been in differences with the central government of Yemen for decades.

By the mid twentieth century, Yemen was divided into two countries. The northern Yemen was ruled by the Zaidi Imams and the southern a British colony. In 1962 a coup took place in northern Yemen known as the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen.

Houthi Attack In UAE | AP

Muhammad al-Badr, took over as ruler in September 1962

In the same year Egyptian-trained military officers commanded by Abdullah as-Sallal, the commander of the royal guard, deposed him, took control of Sana'a, and established the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR). This triggered the North Yemen Civil War, with Egypt assisting the YAR with troops and supplies to combat forces loyal to the imamate, while Saudi Arabia and Jordan backed Badr's royalist forces opposing the newly founded republic. The conflict lasted until 1967, when Egyptian soldiers were evacuated. The monarchy was abolished and the Yemen Arab Republic was finally fully established and recognised by Saudi Arabia.

South and North Yemen

South Yemen on the other hand was a British Protectorate until 1967. It was comprised of Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia both British Protectorate. Following the British exit from the region, the People's Republic of Yemen was formed on November 30, 1967, when the Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia united, which later changed its name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. It was sponsored by Cuba, East Germany, and the Soviet Union when it became a Marxist¨CLeninist one-party state in 1969. It was the first and only communist state in the Arab world.

North Yemen and South Yemen merged in 1990 to form the Republic of Yemen in 1990. Conflict however remained a part of it throughout its history and one of the causes of this conflict remains the North-South divide among the country. An important aspect of this divide is the involvement of Zaidis who form a minority in the country but are predominantly settled in North Yemen which was once ruled by Zaidi rulers. Zaidis have for a long accused the central leadership of marginalising and discriminating them.

The Houthi term can be extremely difficult to understand and explain in the current Yemen political context. The Houthi are a tribe in Northern Yemen that adhere to the Zaidi school of thought. Today however all the rebels together are known as Houthis. These mostly include Zaidis and also Sunnis from North Yemen. These rebels have been led by Houthi tribe currently by Abdul-Malik Badruldeen al-Houthi and previously by his brother

Hussein al-Houthi. Hussein al Houthi was a Zaidi religious, political and military leader, as well as former member of the Yemeni parliament for the Al-Haqq party between 1993 and 1997.

Houthi Attack In UAE | Reuters

Following the unification of North and South Yemen, Ali Abdullah Salah took over as President of Yemen and remained in office till 2011.

In the 1990s, Houthis were moderate in their opposition to the government. This however changed post the American invasion of Iraq. Anti American sentiments were invoked among people specifically by Hussain Al Houthi. This was not taken well by the president and more than 500 supporters of Houthis were arrested and in 2004 forces were sent to arrest Houthi. Hussein retaliated by initiating an insurrection against the central authority, but on September 10, 2004, he was assassinated. Until a ceasefire agreement was struck in 2010, the insurgency continued irregularly. Throughout this long struggle, the Yemeni army and air force worked along with the Saudi military to put down the Houthi revolt in northern Yemen.

Aftermath of the Arab Spring

Following the rise of Arab Spring, protests and revolution reached Yemen and peaked in 2011, with the demands of President Saleh¡¯s resignation.

The Houthis later took part in the 2011 Yemeni Revolution and the National Dialogue Conference that followed. Sales finally resigned and the government was taken over by his Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

The Houthis however continued with their fighting. By November 9, 2011, the Houthis were believed to be in control of two Yemeni governorates, Saada and Al Jawf, and on the verge of gaining control of a third governorate, Hajjah, allowing them to begin a direct attack on Sanaa, Yemen's capital. In May 2012, it was reported that the Houthis had taken control of the majority of the governorates of Saada, Al Jawf, and Hajjah, as well as gaining access to the Red Sea.

By September, 2014, the Houthis were in control of parts of Sanaa, Yemen's capital, including government buildings and a radio station.

The presidential palace in the city was overrun by the Houthis on January 20, 2015. During the takeover, President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi was in the presidential palace. On February 6, the movement formally took control of Yemen's government, dismissing parliament and establishing the Revolutionary Committee as the country's effective authority. On 15 August 2016, the Supreme Revolutionary Committee partially handed power to the Supreme Political Council.

As aforementioned, there is a difference between Houthi tribes whose members are leading the movement and Houthi rebels. They are currently in control of Northern Yemen, while Hadi is in control of the south with Saudi help. The country is again divided into two with North ruled by Zaidis and South under a foreign protection. History is repeating itself in a strange way.

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