The kidnapping of an aide to the president makes it ever more urgent to stop Tehran
A dirty game is being played in Yemen, a game that is taking a toll on the lives and the livelihoods of Yemenis and one that may endanger the security and stability of the Gulf.
Earlier this week, the chief of staff of Yemen’s president was abducted by the Houthi militia in the capital Sanaa. That sentence, in itself, should provoke deep concern in the capitals of the GCC, but especially in Riyadh. Here is an Iranian-backed militia group – one that Saudi Arabia has used its fighter jets against – kidnapping one of the most senior government members in their own capital and justifying it under the quasi-legal term of an “arrest”.
For the Houthis, who have already taken over Sanaa, this is a continuation of their strategy of terror and intimidation, seeking to hold the whole of Yemen to political ransom. For Iran, backing the Houthis means destabilising one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest neighbours. This is an unfortunate substitute for diplomacy.
The Houthis have already derailed the GCC-brokered agreement that ended former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh’s three-decade rule. They have taken over the capital and now seek to expand their influence across the country. Al Qaeda is resurgent in the south, as is the feeling among the Southern Movement that union with the North brings nothing but trouble. These are all dangerous trends for a country with so few resources and which borders two Gulf countries.
What is needed now is greater leadership from the GCC, in particular Saudi Arabia. Riyadh, and other capitals, have been distracted for the past year, not least with the problems in Syria and Iraq. But inattention is not the only problem. After the Houthi rebels overran Sanaa in September, Riyadh stopped its aid to Yemen, including the suspension of US$700m (Dh2.6bn) in military support to the central government.
This is a mistake. Yes, Riyadh is right to be concerned about the Houthis’ power in Sanaa. But without the resources to combat the Houthis, how can the central government turn back the militias? Riyadh and the GCC must take a long-term view: pushing the Houthis out of Sanaa will be difficult. But every month that they remain in control makes the eventual task harder still.
