The Yemen Peace Project

is dedicated to supporting Yemeni individuals and organizations working to create positive change; advancing peaceful, constructive US policies toward Yemen; defending the rights of Yemenis in the diaspora; and increasing understanding of Yemen in the wider world.

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our Vision

Founded in 2010, the YPP works toward a future in which constructive American engagement enables self-determination and peaceful, democratic governance for all Yemenis.

OUR GOALS

To help Yemenis and Yemeni Americans make their voices heard at all levels of government;

To promote policies that respect international law and the rights of the Yemeni people;

To provide policymakers and the public with accurate information about Yemeni affairs;

To foster mutual understanding through media and the arts;

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our programs

ADVOCACY
 

The YPP is America’s first and only advocacy organization dedicated solely to Yemeni affairs and the US-Yemen relationship.

The Yemeni empowerment fund

The Yemeni Empowerment Fund exists to help Yemeni individuals and organizations create positive change in their communities, their countries, and the wider world. 

Sign up for updates from the YPP

Sign up below to receive our weekly newsletter, with up-to-date coverage of events in Yemen, and our action alerts, which allow our readers to be a part of our advocacy efforts in the US.

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from the blog

Featured
June 8-14: Houthis escalate cross-border drone attacks, coalition airstrikes kill civilians in San’a

Sunday, June 9

Al-Masirah, a Houthi propaganda agency, reported that Houthi drones targeted Saudi drone  facilities at Jizan International Airport, which al-Masirah claims has been converted into a military airbase. Saudi Arabian air defense forces intercepted two of the Houthi aircraft.

Monday, June 10
A woman and her three daughters were injured when a Houthi shell struck their home in northern Ta’iz today, al-Masdar Online reports.

Read More →
May 10-June 7: Government disputes Houthis' "withdrawal" from Hudaydah, Houthis attack Saudi oil facilities, European labor unions protest arms shipments, US and KSA ratchet up tensions with Iran

Friday, May 10

The Houthis have agreed to unilaterally remove their forces from the ports of al-Hudaydah, Salif, and Ras Isa between May 11 and May 14. Many observers are sceptical of the promise, given the Houthis’ previous failures to follow through on this aspect of the Stockholm Agreements.

The UN is assessing possible damage to grain stored in the Red Sea Mills facility in Hudaydah following gunfire on Thursday. The National reports that the Houthis attacked the mills causing damage to one of the silos and the wheat stored in it.

Saturday, May 11

A Yemeni government minister has said that the Houthis’ handover of the three main ports in Hudaydah is a “show” meant to “disinform the international community.” Last year the Houthis staged a similar withdrawal of the port of Hudaydah, before it was discovered that the Coast Guard forces the Houthis had handed the port to were, in fact, also Houthi fighters. Journalist Baseem al-Jenani notes that this marks the third time in six months that the Houthis have announced their withdrawal from Hudaydah in accordance with the Stockholm Agreement

The Security Council has approved 75 observers to join the monitoring mission in Hudaydah as part of the Stockholm agreement. However, there are currently only 15 observers in Hudaydah while the others are waiting on visas. The observers were intended to monitor the implementation of the deal and assess conditions on the ground, tasks the mission cannot carry out without adequate staffing.

Read More →
IHL & HRL Violations - May 2019

ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT

Al-Hudaydah Governorate

On May 24, the Mothers of Abductees Organization accused the Houthis of torturing and beating three men who died in their custody. Torture is a violation of rule 90.

Country-wide

The UN has accused the Houthis of stealing and misappropriating aid meant for civilians. According to the UN, an estimated 1% of aid in Yemen has gone missing and dozens of areas throughout Yemen have been promised aid that was never delivered. This is a violation of rule 55, which prohibits inhibiting humanitarian relief for civilians in need.

Read More →

weekly news summaries

Each week we summarize the most important stories from Yemen. You can receive these updates by email by subscribing to our newsletter above.

Featured
June 8-14: Houthis escalate cross-border drone attacks, coalition airstrikes kill civilians in San’a

Sunday, June 9

Al-Masirah, a Houthi propaganda agency, reported that Houthi drones targeted Saudi drone  facilities at Jizan International Airport, which al-Masirah claims has been converted into a military airbase. Saudi Arabian air defense forces intercepted two of the Houthi aircraft.

Monday, June 10
A woman and her three daughters were injured when a Houthi shell struck their home in northern Ta’iz today, al-Masdar Online reports.

May 10-June 7: Government disputes Houthis' "withdrawal" from Hudaydah, Houthis attack Saudi oil facilities, European labor unions protest arms shipments, US and KSA ratchet up tensions with Iran

Friday, May 10

The Houthis have agreed to unilaterally remove their forces from the ports of al-Hudaydah, Salif, and Ras Isa between May 11 and May 14. Many observers are sceptical of the promise, given the Houthis’ previous failures to follow through on this aspect of the Stockholm Agreements.

The UN is assessing possible damage to grain stored in the Red Sea Mills facility in Hudaydah following gunfire on Thursday. The National reports that the Houthis attacked the mills causing damage to one of the silos and the wheat stored in it.

Saturday, May 11

A Yemeni government minister has said that the Houthis’ handover of the three main ports in Hudaydah is a “show” meant to “disinform the international community.” Last year the Houthis staged a similar withdrawal of the port of Hudaydah, before it was discovered that the Coast Guard forces the Houthis had handed the port to were, in fact, also Houthi fighters. Journalist Baseem al-Jenani notes that this marks the third time in six months that the Houthis have announced their withdrawal from Hudaydah in accordance with the Stockholm Agreement

The Security Council has approved 75 observers to join the monitoring mission in Hudaydah as part of the Stockholm agreement. However, there are currently only 15 observers in Hudaydah while the others are waiting on visas. The observers were intended to monitor the implementation of the deal and assess conditions on the ground, tasks the mission cannot carry out without adequate staffing.

May 3-9: UN rushes to salvage grain stores in Hudaydah, government and southern forces clash in al-Dhali'

Friday, May 3

A roadside bomb believed to have been planted by al-Qaeda killed six civilians in al-Qatn village in Hadhramawt. This is the second attack in less than a week by al-Qaeda in the village. AQAP is active in several provinces in south and eastern Yemen.

Emirati officials say that the UAE is planning to diversify their distribution of aid in order to further their reach. The UAE will continue to use organisations outside of the UN-coordinated humanitarian response in providing aid. The UAE identifies food programmes and cholera prevention as top priorities. UN agencies and NGOs have criticized the UAE and Saudi Arabia throughout the conflict for refusing to pay into the UN’s pooled fund for Yemen, and for politicizing their humanitarian projects.

Saturday, May 4

Arab News reports that Saudi Arabia has launched new border security patrols in Saudi Arabia’s Najran Province, which borders Yemen’s al-Jawf and Sa’dah Governorates. US special forces soldiers are known to be assisting with border security; if US troops are involved in joint patrols, there will be an increase in the likelihood of direct US-Houthi clashes, which could escalate the conflict significantly.

Key Readings

Our Readings page summarizes important reports and studies by other organizations and respected experts.

Featured
CARPO report explores requirements for peace

CARPO, the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient, released their latest report on Yemen, Understanding Peace Requirements in Yemen, on March 5, 2019. The report highlights political and social factors that impact the ongoing conflict, identifying requirements for peace in relevant sectors, and important actors that can play a role in meeting these requirements.

Power Struggles in Ta'iz Pitch Aligned Groups Against Each Other, Report Finds

While the war in Yemen is often portrayed as having two sides---the Houthis aligned with GPC-San’a against the Saudi-led coalition and Hadi’s government forces--in reality, both sides are fragmented, with groups representing different political loyalties, often resulting in conflict among the groups within each alliance.

The ambiguous decline of jihadist militancy in Yemen

A July 2018 policy paper by Dr. Elisabeth Kendall for the Middle East Institute explores the gradual development of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State in Yemen (ISY), and the conditions each organization require to succeed. Kendall analyzes the structures of AQAP and challenges the organization has faced. She also compares AQAP to ISY and considers their recent decentralizations. She urges key conflict actors to take actions to ultimately end the war and act now to restrict jihadist militancy in Yemen.

ON THE BLOG

Featured
June 8-14: Houthis escalate cross-border drone attacks, coalition airstrikes kill civilians in San’a

Sunday, June 9

Al-Masirah, a Houthi propaganda agency, reported that Houthi drones targeted Saudi drone  facilities at Jizan International Airport, which al-Masirah claims has been converted into a military airbase. Saudi Arabian air defense forces intercepted two of the Houthi aircraft.

Monday, June 10
A woman and her three daughters were injured when a Houthi shell struck their home in northern Ta’iz today, al-Masdar Online reports.

Read More →
May 10-June 7: Government disputes Houthis' "withdrawal" from Hudaydah, Houthis attack Saudi oil facilities, European labor unions protest arms shipments, US and KSA ratchet up tensions with Iran

Friday, May 10

The Houthis have agreed to unilaterally remove their forces from the ports of al-Hudaydah, Salif, and Ras Isa between May 11 and May 14. Many observers are sceptical of the promise, given the Houthis’ previous failures to follow through on this aspect of the Stockholm Agreements.

The UN is assessing possible damage to grain stored in the Red Sea Mills facility in Hudaydah following gunfire on Thursday. The National reports that the Houthis attacked the mills causing damage to one of the silos and the wheat stored in it.

Saturday, May 11

A Yemeni government minister has said that the Houthis’ handover of the three main ports in Hudaydah is a “show” meant to “disinform the international community.” Last year the Houthis staged a similar withdrawal of the port of Hudaydah, before it was discovered that the Coast Guard forces the Houthis had handed the port to were, in fact, also Houthi fighters. Journalist Baseem al-Jenani notes that this marks the third time in six months that the Houthis have announced their withdrawal from Hudaydah in accordance with the Stockholm Agreement

The Security Council has approved 75 observers to join the monitoring mission in Hudaydah as part of the Stockholm agreement. However, there are currently only 15 observers in Hudaydah while the others are waiting on visas. The observers were intended to monitor the implementation of the deal and assess conditions on the ground, tasks the mission cannot carry out without adequate staffing.

Read More →
IHL & HRL Violations - May 2019

ANSAR ALLAH/HOUTHI MOVEMENT

Al-Hudaydah Governorate

On May 24, the Mothers of Abductees Organization accused the Houthis of torturing and beating three men who died in their custody. Torture is a violation of rule 90.

Country-wide

The UN has accused the Houthis of stealing and misappropriating aid meant for civilians. According to the UN, an estimated 1% of aid in Yemen has gone missing and dozens of areas throughout Yemen have been promised aid that was never delivered. This is a violation of rule 55, which prohibits inhibiting humanitarian relief for civilians in need.

Read More →

ON TWITTER

 

ON THE PODCAST

Featured
Share your perspective on the war in Yemen

We want to hear what you think about the conflict in Yemen and America’s role in Yemeni affairs. Record an audio message using your mobile phone or computer, and email it to us at mafraj@yemenpeaceproject.org. We’ll include your message in an upcoming episode of the Mafraj Radio podcast and post it on the Mafraj Blog. We welcome comments on any aspect of the conflict, but here are a few prompts to get you started:

  • Should the United States continue to support the Saudi-led coalition’s intervention in Yemen?
  • Do you think the planned coalition campaign to capture/liberate al-Hudaydah is a good idea?
  • If you were in charge of the peace process, what would you do to bring the warring parties back to the negotiating table?

We look forward to hearing from you!

Read More →
Mafraj Radio #29: America at war

Welcome to the long-awaited fourth season of Mafraj Radio, the official podcast of the Yemen Peace Project. I’m Will Picard. On this episode we’ll discuss America’s role in Yemen’s civil war, and the Trump administration’s efforts to block citizens of Yemen and five other nations from entering the United States. And we’ll meet one of the many Yemeni immigrants who call America home.

Read More →
Mafraj Radio #28: Wartime Journal bonus episode

This episode features another entry in our Wartime Journal series. We’ve asked contributors in different parts of Yemen to record audio journal entries for us, conveying their own personal experience of Yemen’s ongoing war. Our first installments featured recordings by an anonymous civil servant living in San’a. That same contributor offers her observations on how Yemen’s war has pushed millions of Yemenis into deep poverty, and even starvation. 

Read More →

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