...and Yemen!

[teqniq]

I would have more sympathy for what the Houthis are claiming they are doing - namely as a response to Israel's actions in Gaza were it not for the fact that they turned out to be a bunch of awful repressive arseholes with a really dodgy record on human rights. Subsequently my sympathies lie with the Yemeni people in general (the civilian population that is) who are having to cope with the ongoing bombing by the US and the UK in their attempts to protect Israel.

 

[klang]

Amongst other things, hardcore Sharia law is implemented in houthi areas, eg women not allowed out without male guardian.

 

[klang]

I would have more sympathy for what the Houthis are claiming they are doing - namely as a response to Israel's actions in Gaza were it not for the fact that they turned out to be a bunch of awful repressive arseholes with a really dodgy record on human rights. Subsequently my sympathies lie with the Yemeni people in general (the civilian population that is) who are having to cope with the ongoing bombing by the US and the UK in their attempts to protect Israel.

Also worth remembering that the houthis were a very marginalised group under Saleh...I found it interesting how such a small obscure 'rebel' group could withstand decades of oppression and bombing campaigns.

 

[klang]

my sympathies lie with the Yemeni people in general (the civilian population that is)

The houthis were not voted in and never represented the people of Yemen. Their rule is repressive and brutal.
A lot of Yemenis put a lot of hope in the post Saleh period and saw the Arab spring as an opportunity for progress

 

[klang]

I still think that a break up of Yemen into two states is inevitable.

 

[teqniq]

Also worth remembering that the houthis were a very marginalised group under Saleh...I found it interesting how such a small obscure 'rebel' group could withstand decades of oppression and bombing campaigns.

Indeed so. For anyone who can be bothered to trawl back through this thread you will find me posting about the Houthis right from when they first started making an appearance and they were just an obscure sect living in the mountains. Initially I thought they were a brave new hope in the fractured politics in Yemen but then I started seeing reports of their repressiveness and people being disappeared who spoke out against them and subsequently changed my mind pretty rapidly.

 

[klang]

Indeed so. For anyone who can be bothered to trawl back through this thread you will find me posting about the Houthis right from when they first started making an appearance and they were just an obscure sect living in the mountains. Initially I thought they were a brave new hope in the fractured politics in Yemen but then I started seeing reports of their repressiveness and people being disappeared who spoke out against them and subsequently changed my mind pretty rapidly.

To me a big turning point was when the houthis first took over Sana'a (with Salehs help) and published a photo in Tawakkol karman's (joint Nobel peace prize recipient after her role in Yemen's student uprising which lead to the ousting of Saleh) house, showing houthi fighters chewing qat in karman's bed.
A big fuck you to progress, women's right, and progressive politics.
A propaganda picture if ever there was one, showing that the houthis had little interest in progressive future building.
It stuck with me.

 

[klang]

I've written about it a lot over the years, but if there is anything we can learn from it at all it is that groups like the houthis and Islamism doesn't come out of nowhere. They are a direct result of imperialism, dodgy policies, and propping up corrupt regimes. They need a vacuum to flourish.

 

[klang]

more sympathy for what the Houthis are claiming they are doing - namely as a response to Israel's actions in Gaza

On a related side note - the houthis declared a few months ago that their attacks on red sea traffic would continue, even if the war on Gaza came to an end.... predictably, their stance has shifted.

 

[yield]

Mysterious airstrip appears on a Yemeni island as Houthi rebel attacks threaten region

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP January 17, 2025) — A mysterious airstrip being built on a remote island in Yemen is nearing completion, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show, one of several built in a nation mired in a stalemated war threatening to reignite.

The airstrip on Abd al-Kuri Island, which rises out of the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden, could provide a key landing zone for military operations patrolling that waterway. That could be useful as commercial shipping through the Gulf and Red Sea — a key route for cargo and energy shipments heading to Europe — has halved under attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The area also has seen weapons smuggling from Iran to the rebels.

The runway is likely built by the United Arab Emirates, which has long been suspected of expanding its military presence in the region and has backed a Saudi-led war against the Houthis.

While the Houthis have linked their campaign to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, experts worry a ceasefire in that conflict may not be enough to see the rebels halt a campaign that’s drawn them global attention. Meanwhile, the Houthis have lobbed repeated attacks at Israel, as well as U.S. warships operating in the Red Sea, raising fears that one may make it through and endanger the lives of American service members.

 

[bcuster]

The Houthis should've been doing this all along

Yemens' Houthi's to target only Israel-linked vessels following Gaza deal​

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-will-target-only-israel-linked-vessels-after-gaza-ceasefire-says-2025-01-20/

 

[klang]

The Houthis should've been doing this all along

Yemens' Houthi's to target only Israel-linked vessels following Gaza deal​

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/yemens-houthis-will-target-only-israel-linked-vessels-after-gaza-ceasefire-says-2025-01-20/

There is a lot the houthis should have done. Nation building and re-establishing Yemen as nation together with their partners in the south spring to mind.
Yemen is rich in resources and there is no need for famine and man-made disasters.

There was a great missed opportunity to use the post Saleh period to lead by example, for Yemen itself as well as the wider region.
There is still a lot of important work done and political process is made, especially in the south, however small and however desperate these steps may seem.

The houthis, however, have never been good at peace.
I'd take their statements with a big pinch of salt.
They thrive on their control if their strip of the red sea. They also thrive on Islamism and their alliances with aqap, islah, and other international players.

 

[klang]

On a little side note, and I think this is worth mentioning within the whole houthi - Israel dilemma:
The houthis played an important part in bringing the Jewish heritage in Yemen to an end. When the UN finally declared that there were no Jewish people, Yemenites, left in the country, the houthis were in control of the parts of the country where Jewish culture used to have a very strong presence.
This is the result of centuries of antisemitism, programs and ghettos.
''curse on the jews' is more than a slogan to the houthis. They actively oversaw the eradication of a culture.

 

[bcuster]