A tenuous truce continues to hold in the Yemen conflict. But renewed hope for a political resolution that would allow a withdrawal of Saudi forces from the country centers around the visit to Saudi Arabia by a delegation of Houthi negotiators following protracted negotiations brokered by Oman and capped off by a visit to Muscat by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Omani officials reportedly passed on a letter to him regarding the conflict from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Meanwhile, Washington is reportedly pressing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to heal divisions over Yemen policy arising from disagreements between the two main intervening powers about the political scene in, and future of, the country.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen remains dire. While small steps toward reconstruction are being taken, the international community remains both unable and reticent to subject aid workers to the risks involved in a major campaign for rebuilding and providing desperately needed assistance.
This panel will examine the situation on the ground in Yemen. It will consider whether the broader regional trend of de-escalation, including the restoration of diplomatic relations by both Saudi Arabia and the UAE with Iran, sets the stage for an end to the conflict or at least provides the sufficient conditions to allow Saudi Arabia to withdraw its remaining troops. What is going to be required to bring about a reconciliation between Yemen’s United Nations-recognized Presidential Leadership Council and the Houthi rebels? What is the status and role of Southern secessionist forces? And what conditions would be necessary for the kind of major international humanitarian response that is so desperately needed?
