Search results

Political figures in the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra have taken to social media to complain about the presence of a contingent of British special forces, which they claim is co-located with Saudi forces based at Al-Ghaydah airfield.

UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab was among senior western officials who preferred to discuss Afghanistan with Qatar and like-minded governments, rather than with the government in Kabul prior to the Taliban takeover.

A critical measure of the Taliban’s ability to adapt to its new role of running a government will be the extent its leadership follows the emollient line expressed by spokesmen in Doha, that many analysts believe is represented by politburo head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, rather than being guided by its many hardliners including the Haqqani brothers, whose network (created by their father) has for decades sponsored radical violence. Baradar and the Haqqanis are back in Kabul looking to shape the new Afghanistan.

UN secretary-general António Guterres appointed Sweden’s Hans Grundberg as special envoy for Yemen, taking over from Martin Griffiths, who was named UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator in May, having held the Yemen job since March 2018.

The visit by Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said to Saudi Arabia has focused attention once again on the role the sultanate could play in bringing the Yemen war to an end. Oman has long positioned itself as a neutral player, hosting Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abd Al-Salam in Muscat and regularly receiving international delegations. Dozens of Yemeni tribal leaders and businessmen base in the sultanate and Iranian officials like foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif often meet Houthi representatives in Muscat.

A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy and Human Rights in the Gulf – a group of 17 members of parliament (MPs) in the UK – called on London to halt payments to the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries under the UK’s Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF).

Yemen’s war economy continues to drive the armed conflict and influence the pace of ceasefire negotiations. While political negotiations continue, Houthi leaders are securing their long-term economic interests. The United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned a network of financiers and smugglers linked to the Sanaa-based Houthis on 10 June.

Drones have enjoyed increased range and accuracy in recent years, becoming a potent military weapon in the Yemen conflict. However, in the tradition of military innovation and counter-innovation, drone counter-measures are now catching up.

Amid continuing efforts in Riyadh and Muscat to move forward with peace talks to end the Yemen conflict – or at least Saudi Arabia’s direct involvement in it – the UAE is continuing to consolidate its position on two Yemeni outposts, where it appears intent on maintaining its influence in any post-conflict environment.

GSN Risk Grade – F6 Overview Politics: Conflict has for years exacerbated multiple humanitarian crises, pushing Yemen towards the verge of collapse and ‘failed state’ status (GSN’s political risk category F).

Extensive contacts between Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen have prompted renewed speculation about the role Muscat may be playing in persuading the Houthis to sign a peace deal with Riyadh, bringing an end to their destructive conflict.

Work is continuing on the new airfield being built by the UAE on the Yemeni island of Perim (also known as Mayyun), in the Bab El Mandeb Strait, imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite taken on 30 May shows.

Martin Griffiths is to leave his position as special envoy to Yemen of UN secretary-general António Guterres, after being appointed undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator. His new job was announced on 12 May, but he will remain in his current post until a replacement has been named.  Among those tipped as a possible successor is former UK Middle East minister Alistair Burt; he is chair of the Emirates Society.

The United States Navy guided missile cruiser USS Monterey on 6 May intercepted an unflagged dhow in international waters in the northern Arabian Sea. In an operation that took over 24 hours, a boarding party removed an arsenal of weapons, including 2,500 Type 56 assault rifles, 250 PKM machine guns, 200 Dehlavieh and 9M111M anti-tank guided missiles, 100 Dragonov sniper rifles and 50 Sayyad long range anti-material rifles, together with associated ammunition.

Officially Tehran denies having any military links to Yemen’s Houthis, despite ample evidence to the contrary collated by the United Nations and others. However, in an indication of heightened self-confidence, some in Tehran have become far more open about the issue.