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Yemen crisis: Who are the Houthis? Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom?
(3 months later)
Yemen is in the grip of its most severe crisis in years, with Houthi rebels having taken over large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. Yemen is in the grip of its most severe crisis in years, as competing forces fight for control of the country.
The events have serious implications for Yemen, its neighbours and key Western ally, the United States. Impoverished but strategically important, the tussle for power in Yemen has serious implications for the region and the security of the West.
What has happened? Here are some key questions explained.
In short, after months of tightening their hold, the Houthis have formally taken power. The group has dissolved parliament and announced plans for a new interim assembly and five-member presidential council, which will rule for up to two years. Who is fighting whom?
The move fills a political vacuum which had existed since President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, the prime minister and cabinet resigned in January after the Houthis placed President Hadi under house arrest and detained other leading figures. In recent months Yemen has descended into conflicts between several different groups, pushing the country "to the edge of civil war", according to the UN's special adviser.
But the Houthis are minority Shia from the north, and their declaration has not been recognised by Sunni and southern leaders, threatening Yemen with a further descent into chaos. The main fight is between forces loyal to the beleaguered President, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and those allied to Zaidi Shia rebels known as Houthis, who forced Mr Hadi to flee the capital Sanaa in February.
Yemen's security forces have split loyalties, with some units backing Mr Hadi, and others the Houthis and Mr Hadi's predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has remained politically influential. Mr Hadi is also supported in the predominantly Sunni south of the country by militia known as Popular Resistance Committees and local tribesmen.
Both President Hadi and the Houthis are opposed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has staged numerous deadly attacks from its strongholds in the south and south-east.
The picture is further complicated by the emergence in late 2014 of a Yemen affiliate of the jihadist group Islamic State, which seeks to eclipse AQAP and claims it carried out a series of suicide bombings in Sanaa in March 2015.
After rebel forces closed in on the president's southern stronghold of Aden in late March, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia responded to a request by Mr Hadi to intervene and launched air strikes on Houthi targets. The coalition comprises five Gulf Arab states and Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Sudan.
What does Islamic State want with Yemen?
Why does it matter for the rest of the world?
What happens in Yemen can greatly exacerbate regional tensions. It also worries the West because of the threat of attacks emanating from the country as it becomes more unstable.
Western intelligence agencies consider AQAP the most dangerous branch of al-Qaeda because of its technical expertise and global reach. The US has been carrying out operations, including drone strikes, against AQAP in Yemen with President Hadi's co-operation, but the Houthis' advance has meant the US campaign has been scaled back.
The conflict between the Houthis and the elected government is also seen as part of a regional power struggle between Shia-ruled Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia, which shares a long border with Yemen.
Gulf Arab states have accused Iran of backing the Houthis financially and militarily, though Iran has denied this, and they are themselves backers of President Hadi.
Yemen is strategically important because it sits on the Bab al-Mandab strait, a narrow waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, through which much of the world's oil shipments pass. Egypt and Saudi Arabia fear a Houthi takeover would threaten free passage through the strait.
How did it all get out of control?
In short, after months of tightening their hold, the Houthis have formally seized power. In January, the group said it would dissolve parliament and announced plans for a new interim assembly and five-member presidential council, which would rule for up to two years.
The move filled a political vacuum which had existed since President Hadi, the prime minister and cabinet resigned earlier that month after the Houthis placed President Hadi under house arrest and detained other leading figures.
But the Houthis are minority Shia from the north, and their declaration has not been recognised by Sunni tribesmen and southern leaders, threatening Yemen with a further descent into chaos.
President Hadi, who is recognised as Yemen's legitimate leader by the international community, managed to escape to Aden, which he declared the de facto capital.
Yemen: Stories of daily struggle
Yemen: Waiting for the war
Who are the Houthis?Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis are members of a rebel group, also known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), who adhere to a branch of Shia Islam known as Zaidism. Zaidis make up one-third of the population and ruled North Yemen under a system known as the imamate for almost 1,000 years until 1962.The Houthis are members of a rebel group, also known as Ansar Allah (Partisans of God), who adhere to a branch of Shia Islam known as Zaidism. Zaidis make up one-third of the population and ruled North Yemen under a system known as the imamate for almost 1,000 years until 1962.
The Houthis take their name from Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi. He led the group's first uprising in 2004 in an effort to win greater autonomy for their heartland of Saada province, and also to protect Zaidi religious and cultural traditions from perceived encroachment by Sunni Islamists.The Houthis take their name from Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi. He led the group's first uprising in 2004 in an effort to win greater autonomy for their heartland of Saada province, and also to protect Zaidi religious and cultural traditions from perceived encroachment by Sunni Islamists.
After Houthi was killed by the Yemeni military in late 2004, his family took charge and led another five rebellions before a ceasefire was signed with the government in 2010.After Houthi was killed by the Yemeni military in late 2004, his family took charge and led another five rebellions before a ceasefire was signed with the government in 2010.
In 2011, the Houthis joined the protests against then President Ali Abdullah Saleh and took advantage of the power vacuum to expand their territorial control in Saada and neighbouring Amran province. In 2011, the Houthis joined the protests against then President Saleh and took advantage of the power vacuum to expand their territorial control in Saada and neighbouring Amran province.
They subsequently participated in a National Dialogue Conference (NDC), which led to President Hadi announcing plans in February 2014 for Yemen to become a federation of six regions.They subsequently participated in a National Dialogue Conference (NDC), which led to President Hadi announcing plans in February 2014 for Yemen to become a federation of six regions.
The Houthis oppose the plan, which they say will leave them weakened. The Houthis however opposed the plan, which they said would leave them weakened.
Meeting the Houthis - and their enemies
Yemen's Houthi rebels defy years of war and repressionYemen's Houthi rebels defy years of war and repression
Analysis: Yemen faces fresh challenges as National Dialogue ends
Why is Yemen so unstable?Why is Yemen so unstable?
In recent years Yemen has seen violent conflicts largely caused by underlying problems of unequal access to power and resources.In recent years Yemen has seen violent conflicts largely caused by underlying problems of unequal access to power and resources.
There have been six rounds of fighting between the state and the Houthis in the north; separatist unrest in the south; frequent attacks by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP); power struggles between tribal and military factions; and the crackdown by Mr Saleh's supporters on the protests by youths and pro-democracy activists that eventually forced him to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. There have been six rounds of fighting between the state and the Houthis in the north; separatist unrest in the south; frequent attacks by AQAP; and power struggles between tribal and military factions.
The instability and resulting large-scale displacement, as well as weak governance, corruption, resource depletion and poor infrastructure, have hindered development in the poorest country in the Middle East. For much of the 20th Century, Yemen existed as two separate countries - the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) in the north and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) in the south. In 1990, the countries chose to unify and create the Republic of Yemen. However, southerners soon began complaining of political and economic marginalisation by the government in Sanaa, and fought a civil war in 1994 in a failed attempt to reverse the unification.
Instability and large-scale displacement, as well as weak governance, corruption, resource depletion and poor infrastructure, have hindered development in the poorest country in the Middle East.
Unemployment, high food prices and limited social services mean more than 10 million Yemenis are believed to be food insecure.Unemployment, high food prices and limited social services mean more than 10 million Yemenis are believed to be food insecure.
Yemen profileYemen profile
How did the crisis escalate?
Emboldened by their military victories in the north, the Houthis' leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi demanded in mid-August 2014 that President Hadi reverse a decision to remove subsidies that had hit the country's poor and that he replace the "corrupt" government with one that better represented Yemen's various factions.
Thousands of Houthi supporters - both Shia and Sunnis - then began taking part in sit-ins in front of government buildings in Sanaa and blocking the main road to the city's airport.
Mr Hadi agreed to concessions but this was rejected by the Houthis as insufficient. A week later, the crisis deepened when security forces opened fire on Houthi supporters in Sanaa, killing several people, sparking fierce clashes between Houthis and soldiers in the capital.
Rebels occupied government buildings and seized the headquarters of a military division.
With the death toll rising, the government agreed a deal with the Houthis under which the rebels would withdraw from Sanaa in exchange for their main demands being met.
However, five months later heavily-armed rebels were still patrolling the streets of Sanaa. The rebels also moved into central and western parts of the country that are predominantly Sunni, triggering clashes with jihadist militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
On 20 January rebels stormed the presidential palace complex and put the president under house arrest.
Mr Hadi has also accused his predecessor of attempting to scupper Yemen's political transition. Since taking over the presidency in 2012, he has tried to curb Mr Saleh's influence by removing loyalists from senior posts in the government and military.
Former President Saleh has been accused by the US of backing the Houthis' takeover of Sanaa to de-legitimise the government and create the conditions for a coup.
Fear of sectarian war grows in Yemen
Why are developments in Yemen important elsewhere?
The stability of Yemen is a priority for the US and its Gulf Arab allies because of its strategic position next to Saudi Arabia, a top oil exporter, and shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.
It is also home to one of al-Qaeda's most active regional offshoots, which the US has been seeking to combat with a combination of drone strikes and local counter-terrorism and security assistance.
The Houthis' gains may also exacerbate sectarian and political tensions in the region.
Saudi Arabia, the main Sunni power, believes that the rebels are backed militarily, financially and politically by its Shia regional arch-rival, Iran - something both have denied.
Yemen 'is at risk of civil war'