Yemen civil war and the way it continues to shape the country's nation
The story I am about to share started on the 23rd of September 2010. On the day of my 23rd birthday a decision had been made which was about to change my life. I was granted a scholarship to study Arabic language in the capital city of Yemen, Sanaa.
After a two day-journey via London and Rome I finally got to my destination. Although my memories have faded after more than a decade I still remember the first impression I got of one of the oldest cities in the world of more than 2,500 years to its name. Even before landing it started to become clear that I was about to enter an unknown world as women on the plane started putting on face vails.
The next thing I can recollect vividly was the taxi drive to the hotel and passing by chewing khat soldiers, standing next to pick up trucks with heavy machine guns on them.
The very next day, dragging my enormous luggage behind me I went to Sanaa University where I was supposed to start my Arabic language course. During this day however, I did not manage to get to the classroom as the person I was in touch with and who was responsible for foreign students did not answer my calls. Instead I met my first Yemeni friends, three girls who decided not to attend their classes but to help me out with finding students' accommodation and reaching the department of languages. When we finally located the office where somebody could give me information on where I supposed to be staying and where my classes were held I finally got some answers. The course would start in a month, I could not stay in the students accommodation quite yet and as for the person I was trying to get hold of earlier, he did not answer his phone because he had been abducted. When I heard that I just simply did not know how to react and foolishly laughed in disbelieve.
These first days of my stay in Sanaa are like a movie trailer for what came later, getting to know local culture, meeting Yemenis and other foreigners, travelling to other cities and finally witnessing uprising inspired by Arab Spring.
The uprising which ultimately led to ousting of the then President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, after 34 years in power and all-out civil war in the years that followed.
How did it all start?
The modern history of Yemen is a theatre of many dramatic changes with a mind-blowing number of actors involved. However, there are especially particular individuals, groups of people, policies implemented and events that led to what we are all witnessing right now, civil war and humanitarian crisis.
The modern history of Yemen is a theatre of many dramatic changes with a mind-blowing number of actors involved. However, there are especially particular individuals, groups of people, policies implemented and events that led to what we are all witnessing right now, civil war and humanitarian crisis.
Fernando Carvajal, a internatinally renowned expert on Yemen who served on the UN Security Council Panel as Armed Groups and Regional Expert explained when exactly the conflict started.
Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), as Houthis call themselves, is a militant movement from Zaydi branch of Islam. Zaydi community has been well established in the northern Yemen for centuries and their clerics ruled over the country until the early 60s. Carvajal explained how and why they they came to power yet again.
What is the current situation in Yemen?
Carvajal also pointed out many misconceptions around the civil war itself and that in fact it did not end once the regional powers of Saudi Arabia, Iran an UAE scaled down their involvement.
Naturally one of the consequences of ongoing conflict is a dire humanitarian situation many ordinary Yemenis found themselves in. For the second consecutive year it has been estimated that $4.3 billion are needed to address the humanitarian crisis in the country, while in 2009 this figure stood at $4 million.
Also, there are many components that make the situation the way it is now. Carvajal once more.
Saleh's dummy hanging off a street lamp.
Saleh's dummy hanging off a street lamp.
The 2011 popular uprising
It was not an action movie. At first it started quite innocently. Some time back in January 2011 the very first demonstrations started in support of the then status quo and president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Even though the changes were rooted in the complex political situation in the country, they were also inspired by the events in far away Tunisia when on the 17th of December 2010, a street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire and initiated the Arab Spring. Back then some of those with knowledge of the Arab world and complicated political make-up of Yemen knew what was about to happen and decided to stop issuing visas to Yemen.
Protesters supporting President Saleh.
Protesters supporting President Saleh.
The rest is history. The situation started to escalate gradually. Opposition to Saleh rule started to organise protests and situated themselves in front of the university I attended. Tents started to appear on the streets with more and more people joining in. For weeks on end they occupied streets with people coming in from different parts of the country. The ‘tent city’ grew to cover miles of roads.
And that was it, for about two months. This uncertain time wasn't however especially violent with major episodes happening every two weeks. In fact it did look more like a festival rather than a revolution. People were dancing, chanting, praying, street vendors were selling snacks, there was even a trampoline for children, but with an occasional twist of a series of gunfire.
Young children brought to the protest against the regime.
Young children brought to the protest against the regime.
The scale of the events shifted on the 18th of March when, it is now believed, the government opened fire on unarmed protesters killing more than 50 people. This pushed one of the top generals, Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, to stop supporting the president. It seemed the beginning of the end was getting closer. And yet again, things slowed down, with more protesters joining in, more dancing, chanting and occasional gunfire but without major attacks.
Anti-establishment protesters chanting "People want to overthrow the regime."
Anti-establishment protesters chanting "People want to overthrow the regime."
Witnessing all this was somehow disturbing but also fascinating. As the people of Yemen are quite religious, well accustomed to political changes and omnipresent firearms they were not terrified of bullets. They would sit calmly as shots were fired. And this way of being proved to be contagious.
Anti-government protester standing on a pile of rubble.
Anti-government protester standing on a pile of rubble.
Towards the end of my stay in Sanaa things shifted once more. At the end of May 2011 street fights broke out, between government forces and those faithful to Ali Mohsen in the northern part of the capital. One day I and other residents were awakened by loud explosions. After going up to the roof of our block of flats we could clearly see the fire exchange.
It was time to go home.
Life during the war
Marta has been living in Sanaa since the mid-1990s. She moved there with her Yemeni husband, who she met back in Poland while he was a foreign student at a University. Just five years after the country became a republic and unified after nearly 30 years.
And during nearly 30 more years she and her family witnessed and survived some of the most significant and tragic events in the country’s history.
While the vast majority of foreigners and mixed families left before the war escalated in 2015 Marta with her husband and two sons stayed.
Her memories of what followed after the 2011 revolution are bitter-sweet. Few years after the revolution the situation did not change much, at least not for the ordinary citizens. Schools and hospitals operated as normal, prices were stable.
Things started to change once the Saudi-led coalition started bombing the capital city. Amongst the memories mixed in the maze of now forgotten dates Marta can still recollect some of the most crucial moments. Like the one when the entire city of Sanaa was engulfed in complete darkness for two months after Saudi airstrikes destroyed power stations. Dollar prices went up from 240 YR to 800 YR. Food prices skyrocketed to be even higher than in her home country, Poland. Two-day long queues to buy petrol. People started building provisional stoves in order to heat water and cook their meals. They did so by burning wood at the beginning to burning rubbish when timber ran out. The Banking system totally collapsed.
She also recollected: “Houthis were recruiting children to join their ranks, young boys around 14, 15 years old. They did not even have facial hair yet.” They were given guns and patrolled the streets of Sanaa. “They would stop the car and point their guns at you. Firstly I was shocked, but eventually got used to it. My son once asked me: ‘Mum, what hurts more, being shot by a 14-year-old, or by an adult?”
As she explained: “Sanaa is located high in the mountains and its ground consists of two meters of soil, with solid rock underneath which in turn made entire neighbourhoods shake during airstrikes.”
However, in the midst of it all, things started changing rapidly and went in quite mind-boggling directions. In order to tackle energy shortages people started fixing solar panels on their roofs. Marta said: “it is a rather cheap investment as the panels are not expensive, although batteries are. But at least people can use the energy during the day.”
“At some point, when it was still extremely hard to get fuel, gas started to be available. So people started converting their cars to run on gas.”
And the money problem? Those who had it, started investing in gold or … housing. Sanaa burst in its seams during the war, with the city growing three-fold and five-six floors up, according to Marta's husband.
Anti-government protesters dancing.
Anti-government protesters dancing.
Ali Saleh supporters marching.
Ali Saleh supporters marching.
Protesters dancing next to the tent city.
Protesters dancing next to the tent city.
A group of women walking through the tent city.
A group of women walking through the tent city.
Where sorrow meets hope
Despite still ongoing conflict between Yemenis, the situation in the capital has improved since the Saudi announced ceasing all hostilities within Yemen back in March 2022.
However, the mind-boggling changes are still happening and shaping Sanaa and its people.
As reported by Marta: “A lot of young people want to get a good education. They go to universities, with many of them going to study abroad, despite the Houthies allowing people to leave the country for medical purposes only, and only when they cannot be treated in the country. Those who can get a false medical record lie to the authorities in order to start courses overseas. And those who cannot, study in the country. Especially girls and young women, whose families would be reluctant to let them travel abroad on their own.”
As a consequence, many women entered the workforce. Marta added: “They no longer stay at home taking care of their children. More and more of them study or work.” What would not take place just 10 years ago is now a reality, where young mums get help from their mothers-in-law so they can work and financially support their families.
And when it comes to the Houthies governing the northern part of the country, Marta said: “State employees get paid every six months, hospitals and schools are operating, but teachers, doctors and nurses are showing up to work only because they have been threatened that if they don't, all the hours which they were supposed be at work but did not show up will be deducted from their future pension. Curriculum had to be adjusted to meet lowering standards of education.”
But, in spite of their failure when it comes to certain aspects of governing, they are not entirely bad. In Marta's opinion: “The corruption has plummeted since they took over. Before you had to think which uncle to turn to in order to get something done, or collect money to give a bribe. What they did was, they kept civil servants and officers who served under the previous government but they placed their own people in offices who watch over them and make sure corrupt employees do not get bribes. And it works.”
Recruiting children has also stopped according to Marta: “Now, every now and then they pop up next to a mosque and encourage young men to join them. And there is certain interest in doing so as many are simply desperate to get any income. Working for Houthis also guarantees regular food supply as this is how they distribute humanitarian aid.”
Also, things like rubbish collection and even planting palm trees and flowers is taken care of.
On the other hand, Marta also mentioned not being able to speak up. Houthis make sure no rebellion against them will happen. “They can stop you, take your phone, check your texts and pictures and if they find something insulting they can send you to prison. There were people who spoke up, they got lost and were never found.
“They think they are so much better than ordinary people because they believe they are descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.”
As we nearly finished our two hour long conversation, I could hear something in the background. She said “Let me go inside because there is a wedding and it’s loud.” The unfamiliar noise was followed by a loud explosion-like series of sounds. Then I remembered, this is what she says when on call with her parents and when the sounds of guns are not of celebration but of war.
Yemen is definitely at a crossroad. And most probably it will take years if not decades before it becomes a safe place for its people. But one thing I am sure of, the people of Yemen will pull through as they did thus far.
All images and video footage were taken by the author.
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