In The Middle

The current war in Yemen is one of the most underreported conflicts. As the Middle East region is going through unstable developments, the Yemeni narrative gets lost in the clutter. A majority of the stories that manage to come out from Yemen are all of famine, cholera, destruction, and despair. None of which are told by Yemenis. It is usually a parachuting reporter who briefs the world in, like a news strap that passes through television screens; momentary and not very impactful. Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, is currently under the control of the Houthi rebels. They seized control of the government in 2014 and are ruling the majority of Yemen’s Northern parts. In 2015, the religious-political-armed movement also known as ‘Ansar Allah’ attacked the South to expand their dominance. Their expansion to the South resulted in blood and destruction. That is when the Saudi-led coalition came into the picture. It did push back the Houthis into the North. The aftermath of the Aden battle resulted in a tentative recovery in the South. Yet, the livelihood remains in a desperate need for improvement. For many in Aden, joining the military was the reliable option to secure a source of living.