The internationally recognized Yemeni government’s continued relevance on the ground, even after losing its interim capital of Aden last year, is largely due to its hold on the country’s oil and gas producing regions. These form what could be called the government’s triangle of power, drawn between the cities of Marib, Ataq and Sayoun in the governorates of Marib, Shabwa…

The devastating explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, in August should instill a sense of urgency among all stakeholders in Yemen regarding the gigantic floating bomb just offshore of Hudaydah governorate, officially known as the FSO Safer oil terminal. Like the thousands of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had been stuffed into a warehouse at the east…

Focus on the threat of an environmental disaster related to the FSO Safer, the decrepit oil terminal offshore of Yemen’s west coast, increased for the United Nations and other stakeholders in Yemen in the first six months of 2020 and continued to sharpen through July and August. International attention was raised earlier in the year with United Nation Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2511 in February calling for UN officials to be given access to “inspect and maintain” the 45-year-old oil…

By Saad Hizam Ali With the Yemen war in its sixth year, the situation of public institutions in each governorate has changed in various ways. Marib governorate has become a destination for tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) at a time from other areas, with the increase in population impacting the provision of public services. Marib also has…

By Ali Al-Dailami Working 15-hour days, foregoing internet service and shaving bald rather than visiting a barber long have helped a Yemeni fabric salesman in Saudi Arabia stretch his SR2,500 (US$666) paycheck to cover his expenses and send nearly half of it to his family back home each month, keeping them secure enough for his children to focus on the…

Editor’s note: Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi served as Yemen’s foreign minister from 2001-2014, beginning in the aftermath of the October 2000 USS Cole bombing in Aden’s port, which shaped Yemen’s diplomatic agenda for more than a decade. Dr. Al-Qirbi, a member of the General People’s Congress (GPC) party founded by the late President Ali Abdullah Saleh, was involved in negotiating…

The Sixth Yemen Exchange launched its two-week online program on August 3, 2020, bringing together over 50 participants from around the world who aim to gain unique access to information, perspectives, updates and analysis on Yemen. The opening session hosted Sana'a Center Executive Director Majed al-Madhaji and Senior Researcher Abdulghani al-Iryani who gave a deep dive into the political alliances,…

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has been the gatekeeper for UN efforts in Yemen for almost a decade. With a tortuous process where progress seems to come and go, some diplomats from member states of the UNSC have privately expressed disappointment that the Council is always “reacting” rather than “acting” when it comes to Yemen. The Security Council’s ability…