The internationally recognized Yemeni government’s recent decision to dramatically increase customs tariffs on non-essential goods appears to be spurring price surges for imports across the board. Given that the primary driver of the country’s dire food security crisis is price volatility, and that the government’s recent tariff hikes threaten to exacerbate this humanitarian crisis, the government should reverse its decision…

A group of Yemeni tribal leaders and activists met in Toledo, Spain, on September 10-11 to discuss ways to organize tribes’ peacebuilding efforts in Yemen, as the country enters its seventh year of war. The Chargé d'Affaires of the European Union in Yemen, Marion Lalisse, opened the first session via video conference, and newly-appointed UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg urged…

The battle between the fragmented Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) branches over control of Yemeni banks’ operations and financial centers escalated dramatically in August, further threatening their ability to operate in Yemen. On August 5, CBY-Aden ordered Yemeni commercial and Islamic banks to, among other things, relocate their headquarters to fully operate from Aden. CBY-Aden’s August 5 statement reminded Yemeni banks to submit the financial data it had previously asked for within 15 days of July 6.

Even before the events of 2014 and 2015 that led Yemen into the ongoing civil war, its economy was fragile. The years of hardship that have haunted the country ever since have been devastating. Yemen is now rated as one of the hardest places in the world for businesses to operate and is last or near last in a host of global business competitiveness indexes. From January 25-27,2021 the seventh Development Champions Forum, held virtually, focused on this dire national…

The Old City of Sana’a has been inhabited for over 2,500 years; it boasts unique architecture – those distinctive multistory towers with delicate white-trim designs – and UNESCO world heritage status. Today, this built heritage, and the human history it evinces, face multiple threats. Heavy rains have recently caused damage to around 1,000 houses, starkly exposing the city’s precarious situation…

Saudi Arabia has recently begun a campaign to purge its government-run institutions of Yemenis, many of whom have held their jobs in the kingdom for decades. The implications of this policy appear likely to cascade through the Saudi labor market and could potentially impact hundreds of thousands of Yemenis in the kingdom and millions of their family members back in…

After summoning the Yemeni parties to the Riyadh Agreement to Saudi Arabia in June to resolve disputes impeding implementation of the power-sharing deal, the Kingdom’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement on July 2 singling out recent moves by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) related to security, military and organizational appointments by the council.

Mukalla, Yemen – The Intellectuals Conference, hosted by the Sana’a Center in Mukalla, held its concluding sessions today. The conference covered a number of topics, such as the role of intellectuals in Yemen’s future, the future of the state in Yemen, the role of non-state armed groups, and the southern issue. An interactive session was also held during which representatives…

Mukalla, Yemen - The Sana’a Center launched today its two-day Intellectuals Conference in the city of Mukalla in the Hadramout governorate with the participation of a number of intellectuals, political activists, and journalists with the aim to create a safe space for these groups to discuss the way forward towards peace. Representatives from the UN Office of the Special Envoy…