The Red Sea, a vital maritime corridor, has turned into a theatre of conflict, with over 133 occurrences targeted since November 2023, including nearly 40 vessels that were hit by drones or missiles and in some cases taken over by Somali pirates. The assailants? The Houthis, an Islamist political and military organisation from Yemen, are embroiled in a civil war that has spiralled into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. But what drives these attacks? A protest against Israel’s war in Gaza and a bid to pressure involved players, or so they claim. But maybe now’s a good time to analyse whether there is a larger power play for control of Yemen’s lands.
The Power Play: Yemen’s Historical Tug-of-War
Yemen’s saga of power struggles dates back centuries, with the Zaidis, a Shia Muslim sect, historically dominating. The 1960s saw a seismic shift when North Yemen emerged as a republic, shaking off Zaidi rule. Yet, the Zaidis’ influence lingered, particularly in Saada province, where Hussein Al Houthi ignited a new movement critical of then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and Saudi Arabia’s growing clout.
The Houthi movement, initially a small militia fuelled by ideological zeal, transformed into a formidable force as it clashed with Saleh’s government. The 2011 Arab Spring protests, calling for Saleh’s resignation, added fuel to the fire, eventually leading to his ousting. In the power vacuum that followed, the Houthis seized an opportunity, capturing the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, and expanding their territory to the strategic port city of Hodeidah. It is worth noting that the war in Yemen has killed over 3.5 lakh people through direct and indirect causes. The data, according to Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) also reveals over 7,000 specific incidents of violence and military intervention has been official recorded since the Arab Spring
The Saudi-Houthi Standoff: A Proxy War?
The Houthi expansion drew Saudi Arabia into Yemen’s conflict, with the kingdom leading a coalition to bomb Houthi-controlled areas and impose a naval blockade. The Saudis aimed to curb Iranian influence, believed to be backing the Houthis, and restore Yemen’s legitimate government. However, the intervention only deepened the crisis, with both sides accused of war crimes and the humanitarian situation worsening.
In recent developments, UN-brokered ceasefire talks have brought a glimmer of hope, aiming to ease restrictions and open up Yemen’s economy. Yet, the road to peace remains fraught with challenges, as the question of Yemen’s governance and the Houthis’ quest for legitimacy loom large.
The Humanitarian Crisis: A Tale of Two Sides
The humanitarian fallout from the Yemeni conflict is staggering, with both the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis accused of exacerbating the crisis. The coalition’s airstrikes and blockade have severely hindered aid delivery, while the Houthis’ governance in their territories has been marked by brutality and oppression, drawing comparisons to the Taliban. Women, in particular, have faced imprisonment and persecution for any dissent against Houthi rule.
In a significant turn of events, 2022 saw the initiation of UN-brokered ceasefire talks between the Houthis and Saudis. The negotiations, aimed at easing restrictions on Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port, offer a glimmer of hope for a more open and economically viable Yemen. However, the lack of accountability for the conflict’s devastation and clarity on Yemen’s future governance remains a concern for many Yemenis, who fear the consolidation of Houthi power.
Legitimacy and Strategy: The Palestinian Card
In a strategic pivot, the Houthis have sought to frame their actions within the context of supporting Palestinians, aiming to broaden their appeal and distract from their governance failures. By focusing on the Palestinian cause and the conflict with Israel, they hope to garner broader Arab and Muslim support. The recent Red Sea attacks, while causing international trade disruptions, seem to be part of this strategy, as they have sparked protests in Yemen showing support for both the Palestinians and the Houthis.
Also read: Chabahar checkmate
India’s role in the Red Sea crisis
India’s role in the Red Sea crisis is primarily focused on safeguarding its maritime interests and ensuring the security of its sea lanes in the region. The Indian Navy plays a crucial role in this effort by actively patrolling the waters to deter attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
To prevent attacks, the Indian Navy maintains a strong presence in the region, conducting regular patrols and surveillance operations. Additionally, India participates in multinational efforts, such as the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), to enhance maritime security in the Red Sea.
The Indian Navy’s efforts include monitoring and securing critical maritime routes, escorting merchant vessels, and coordinating with other navies and maritime security agencies in the region. These efforts are aimed at maintaining stability and safeguarding the interests of Indian vessels and personnel in the Red Sea region.
Navigating the Crisis: International Response
The Red Sea is the passageway for about 12% of all trade, including 30% of all container traffic worldwide. Every year, the Red Sea sees billions of dollars worth of commercial supplies and goods pass through, therefore delays there can have an impact on the cost of gas, the availability of gadgets and other elements of international trade.
The international response to the Red Sea crisis has been swift, with a US-UK-led coalition targeting Houthi-controlled areas in retaliation. However, this has only worsened the situation for Yemenis caught in the crossfire. The Houthi strategy of aligning with the Palestinian cause appears to be gaining traction, suggesting that their attacks in the Red Sea may be more about consolidating power than addressing Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe.
As the world watches the unfolding crisis in the Red Sea and Yemen, the path to peace and stability remains fraught with challenges. The Houthi rebellion, with its deep historical roots and evolving strategies, continues to shape the fate of a nation and its people, caught in a complex web of power struggles and geopolitical interests.
Red Sea crisis explained – A long-ish history and timeline of events
More than 40 commercial vessels have been attacked since last November in the Red Sea. These missiles came from Yemen from a group known as the Houthis. That’s the latest information we have. But the Houthis control much of Yemen, which has been in a civil war for more than 9 years. The war has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
More than 3.5 lakh people there have been killed by either violence, famine or a lack of medical services. The Houthi say they are attacking ships in the Red Sea that do business with Israel in protest against the war in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians and to put pressure on the players involved in the war.
But there’s also another reason. Right behind the Houthi’s attacks on these ships, lies a grim story of who controls Yemen. For centuries, the most populated area of Yemen was mainly ruled by religious Zaidis, a Shia Muslim sect who were overthrown in the 80s. The region they once ruled became a Republic known as North Yemen. The first leaders of North Yemen were either deposed or assassinated, but by the late 1970s, a Colonel who was part of the revolution, Ali Abdullah Saleh, became its president.
Saleh was 80, but he wasn’t politically aligned with his 80’s cause and often marginalised them. In 1990, he united the country with South Yemen and as the new government formed, a Yemeni politician named Hussein Al Houthi started a new Zaidi movement in Saada province, where many of Yemen’s aides were. Most of the country was Sunni-dominated. Al Houthi and his followers were strong critics of Saleh. And they were against Sunni Saudi Arabia’s rising religious and financial influence in the region.
They were a very small militia, not more than a few thousand soldiers, who started from an ideological belief that they had to govern Yemen. As Salah cooperated with the US in its war in the region, over time became more militarised and more hostile to them.
Yes, bite the hands that feed.
In 2004, Salah’s forces attempted to arrest Houthi, sparking clashes between their forces. Later that year saw his army killing Al Houthi. But this only made his movement stronger. The new leadership and their followers became known as the Houthis. Over the next few years, the Houthis continued to clash with the government. Some reports say that around this time they also began cooperating with Iran, a Shia-majority country.
Then, in January 2011 protests began to spread across the Arab world. The countries were struggling from economic depression, poverty and corruption. Protesters in Yemen called for Saleh’s resignation and demanded inclusion in the country’s political process. And soon there were also militant attacks across Yemen by various factions. Eventually, Saleh stepped down. He was replaced by a Saudi-backed transitional government led by interim president Abdul Mansour Hadi, who began a national dialogue to form Yemen’s new government. The Houthis initially participated in the dialogue, but after disagreeing over the new governance system, which they thought marginalised their influence, they left in 2014, and later that year orchestrated a new wave of protests over fuel prices.
Saudi’s intervention in Yemen created a devastating humanitarian crisis and the same with the Houthis. They’ve also created a humanitarian crisis with their governance which for lack of a better word was absent and continued to terrorise the local population, basically.
Human rights organisations accused both the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis of war crimes like airstrikes, landmine attacks and forced disappearances of opponents.
In 2017, amid tension between Saleh and the Houthis about who would wield power, the Houthis killed him. By 2020, after hundreds of thousands of deaths, the Saudi-led coalition started to pull back on air strikes and some of the blockade. The UN-brokered ceasefire talks between the Houthis and Saudis began in April 2022 but there was little mention of accountability for the harm done by both parties, and it remains unclear how the members in both organisations are being governed.
The Red Sea attacks have caused a major international trade disruption. And now a US-UK LED coalition is targeting Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and retaliation, making the situation for Yemenis even worse. But there’s evidence that the Houthi strategy may be working. Across Yemen, massive protests in support of the Palestinians are also showing support for the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and even for Houthi. It suggests that even though the Red Sea attacks aren’t actually evidence of the Houthis doing anything to improve your men’s catastrophe, there may be a way for the Houthis to strengthen their hold on power.
