As political upheaval dating back to the Arab Spring continues in Yemen, United Nations special adviser Jamal Benomar expressed concern that the nation is moving toward Civil War. The U.N. Security Council met March 22 to discuss the mounting crisis in Yemen.
“Peaceful dialogue is the only way forward,” Benomar told the council. In assessing the situation, he said the country is in a “rapid downward spiral” and at “the edge of Civil War.”
Since then, however, Yemen’s northern neighbor, Saudi Arabia, conducted airstrikes on areas of Sanaa on March 26, killing at least 18 civilians in an effort to eradicate the city of Houthi rebels, according to the Associated Press.
The rebels took control of Yemeni President Abd Rabuh Mansur Hadi’s palace in Sanaa in January, forcing Hadi to retreat to the port city of Aden. Aden was his provisional capital until Houthi rebels advanced on the city March 25. Hadi fled by boat.
Suicide bombings
During Friday prayers March 20, suicide bombers attacked two mosques linked to the Houthis, killing more than 125 people and wounding hundreds in the nation’s capital, Sanaa. A Sunni group claiming to be a branch of the Islamic State said they were responsible for the bombings.
Yemen is home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of the most powerful branches of the terrorist organization. AQAP denied any involvement in the late March attacks on the mosques.
On March 22, Houthi rebels took control of an international airport and government buildings in the city of Taiz, 240 miles south of Sanaa.
As violence initially escalated between the country’s ruling Sunni Muslims and rebel Houthi Shiite Muslims, both the United States and the United Kingdom withdrew security forces. In February the U.S. closed its embassy in Yemen.
The tumultuous repercussions of the Arab Spring, which increase with each passing day, have forced many Yemenis to question much of what they thought secure.
Greg Voss, a Christian worker in the Middle East, observed, “Honestly most Yemenis would rather go back to the days before the Arab Spring.”
Despite the lack of religious and political freedom they had far more stability — consistent jobs, electricity, water and schools for their kids. Now much of that has vanished. More than 10 million people need food assistance and 13 million cannot access clean water.
Traditionally northern Yemen has been quite hostile to Christians, while southern Yemen was less hostile, though still quite restrictive. Throughout the country believers continue to live out their faith as boldly as they can and support one another amid the hardships they now face.
Voss urges believers to remember God is sovereign over all of this and that He continues drawing Yemenis to Himself.
Another Christian worker said, “At times it seems hopeless. However … we trust in the sovereign God of history. He is working and moving even in Yemen.
“The upheaval has caused many Yemenis to reconsider much of what they thought secure and stable in their lives. … For many of them this means greater spiritual openness as well.
“Pray that this spiritual openness would continue to increase and many would know the peace of Jesus. Pray that believers in Yemen would support one another and shine as beacons of Christ’s love in the midst of the darkness.”
(BP)
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