The haunting echoes of a prolonged conflict have returned to Yemen, where the United Nations warns the country has effectively slid back into full-scale war. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg reported that fighting continues to intensify as government forces push a military offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah.

According to Al Jazeera, the renewed violence has sparked profound humanitarian and security concerns across the region. At least 46 civilians have been killed and more than 130 others injured since August, with many of the casualties being children, as reported by the United Nations. Furthermore, the UN's migration agency, the IOM, stated that more than 200,000 people have been displaced since fighting escalated in September.

Al Jazeera reported that government forces are particularly focused on retaking the vital Bab al-Mandeb strait at the entrance to the Red Sea. This critical trading chokepoint has become an essential alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have all but halted shipping. On Sunday, the Yemeni government announced the start of operations named "Dawn of Yemen," aimed at retaking all remaining Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa. According to Al Jazeera, Colonel Majid al-Nuzaili, spokesperson for the armed forces, stated in a Saba news agency report that operations over a 24-hour period resulted in more than 2,750 precision strikes and the neutralization of over 1,400 Houthi fighters, while ground forces successfully breached defenses.

Background

According to Al Jazeera, the fierce battles across several fronts have prompted concerns from rights groups that Yemen has essentially returned to civil war. This follows the relative quiet brought by a 2022 ceasefire that succeeded a lengthy civil war which first erupted in 2014. The Bab al-Mandeb strait has emerged as a key front in the wider context of regional hostilities, with Riyadh increasingly relying on the route for oil exports amid a broader US-Iran conflict that has closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Why it matters

As reported by Al Jazeera, experts warn that Yemen's worst fighting in years threatens to destabilise the region further. For observers and ordinary citizens tracking international stability, the disruption of vital trade routes like the Bab al-Mandeb strait carries significant economic and geopolitical implications, particularly concerning global shipping and energy transit.