In early 2017 the United Nations (UN) declared that Yemen was enduring the single largest humanitarian crisis in the world. By year’s end, UN agencies estimated that 17.8 million people in Yemen were food insecure and 8.4 million were at risk of famine. Economic and public service collapse left more than 16 million Yemenis without access to safe water and…

By Adam Baron, Waleed Alhariri and Anthony Biswell Executive Summary: The involvement of numerous foreign actors on all sides of the Yemen war has not changed the fact that fundamentally the conflict remains tied to local dynamics. This is particularly true with regard to the Houthis, the militant group currently controlling much of Yemen’s north and facing off against forces…

At first glance, Ma’rib appears to be an intense Yemen resisting collapse. One of the last strongholds for the "Republic of Yemen" as a state for all its citizens. This might sound as overloading the place with symbolism, but even this stems from a profound feeling that very place inspires, despite all the challenges it is facing. It also stems from the city’s stubborn clinging to its "Yemenihood" rather than "Ma’ribiness", whereby all other Yemeni regions resort to and are…

Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s killing last week reverberated throughout Yemen and the wider region. As the most dominant figure in the country for more than 30 years, the implications of his demise are formidable. To garner a deeper understanding of how the outlook has changed for the ongoing conflict and the country in general, the Sana’a Center asked…

Summary: In November, long-simmering tensions between the Houthis and the allied forces of former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh erupted into armed clashes on the streets of Sana’a. Sana’a Center analysis identified a decisive factor in the battles being that the tribal groupings surrounding the capital largely abandoned Saleh; this helped Houthi fighters seize the entire city and kill Saleh…

Yemenis face serious mental health risks, but the issue is being neglected, says a new study released today by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, Columbia Law School’s Human Rights Clinic, and the Mailman School of Public Health. The groups announced the start of a groundbreaking new joint project to research and improve mental health in Yemen.

Much of the Yemeni population faces frequent exposure to serious stressors, harm and trauma, whether from food insecurity, unemployment, cholera, arbitrary detention, torture, indiscriminate attacks, air strikes, or weak to non-existent basic public services. The ongoing conflict in Yemen thus has immediate implications for the mental health and well-being of Yemenis.

The Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies (SCSS) has an immediate opening for a policy and advocacy intern to assist in the expansion of its Washington D.C. operations. Remote work is a possibility.

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies organized an international press delegation visit to Yemen’s Marib governorate during the first week of November, including senior correspondents from North American and European print and broadcast media.

Summary: In October, the annual United Nations Children and Armed Conflict report stated that Saudi Arabia was guilty of grave violations of the rights of children for its military actions in Yemen. This placed Saudi Arabia on the report’s so-called “child killer” list. Other belligerent parties to the Yemeni conflict named to the list were Houthi militants and the allied…