Inside Story

Is the Saudi-led coalition failing in Yemen?

Confidential UN report sheds light on the coalition’s more than two-year-long military campaign against Houthi fighters.

A new confidential UN report says that after a nearly two-and-a-half year military campaign in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition is “no closer” to achieving its objective. The report suggests the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen is failing.

Saudi Arabia and its partners have been carrying out air raids against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, in one of the world’s poorest countries.

But despite the coalition’s considerable military power, it has not succeeded in its mission. The report says the campaign has led to a further fragmentation of Yemen’s political landscape.

It accuses all parties of continuing to violate international human rights laws, saying government forces, Houthi fighters loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the UAE are detaining people illegally.

So, can this conflict be stopped?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Hakim Al Masmari – Editor of the Yemen Post

Bill Van Esveld – Senior researcher at Human Rights Watch

Afzal Ashraf – Associate professor at the Centre for Conflict, Security and Terrorism at Nottingham University