Yemen Road, Yemen

Why don’t we hear more about the war in Yemen? Or rather, why haven’t I heard more about it? I didn’t hear about it until Samantha Bee mentioned it on her late night show. Here are some things to know about it if you’re like me and have been living under a rock:

A rebel group called the Houthis formed as a theological movement preaching peace — they’ve been battling supporters of the Yemen government.
In 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition of Arab states to defeat the Houthis.
- Countries involved: Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan and Senegal.
The US has been known to launch air strikes on Yemen. The US recently admitted to deploying a number of troops there.
Yemen has been home to an al-Qaeda franchise, known to be one of the most dangerous in the organization.
US has caught Iran in the act of sending Houthi rebels weapons, most recently in March, 2018.
Saudi Arabia fears Iran will expand into Yemen with its support for Shia armed groups.
Saudi-backed rebels fight against Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria.
In Lebanon, Iran sponsors the Shia militia — Hezbollah — while Saudi Arabia supports the Sunni Future Movement.
Saudi Arabia executed Shia Muslim leader Nimr al-Nimr earlier this year.
Basically the main issues seem to stem from the Sunnis in Saudi Arabia and the Shias in Iran.
The issues in Yemen, however, revolve around economic and political issues.
The government lifted fuel subsidies in 2014, which angered the public and in turn Houthi supporters began to protest.
Al-Qaeda has launched several attacks on Houthi rebels since the start of the war because it views the Houthis as infidels.
Civilian casualties are incredibly high: at least 50,000 children died in 2017.
Providing aid to civilians is very difficult and dangerous considering the amount and consistency of which bombings occur. Doctors Without Borders tries to provide aid in the area, but a handful have been killed or injured in the process.