Yemen: Civil War and Regional Intervention
Congressional Research Service
Summary
This report provides information on the ongoing crisis in Yemen. Now in its fourth year, the warin Yemen shows no signs of abating and may be escalating. In recent weeks, the northern Yemeniarmed militia and political movement known as the Houthis have launched several missile attacksinto Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi
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led coalition, a multinational grouping of armed forces primarily led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has continued to conduct airstrikes inside Yemen. Including combatants, the war in Yemen may have killed more than 10,000Yemenis and has significantly damaged the country’s infrastructure. As the war continues, the riskof it spreading beyond Yemeni territory appears to be growing.Yemen is considered one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), out of a total population of nearly 30 million people, 22 million Yemenis are in need of humanitarianassistance. Since March 2015, the United States has been the largest contributor of humanitarianaid to Yemen. The United States has provided a total of $854.223 million in humanitarianassistance in FY2017 and FY2018.
For additional information on Yemen, including a summary of relevant legislation, please seeCRS Report R45046,
The War in Yemen: A Compilation of Legislation in the 115th Congress
, byJeremy M. Sharp and Christopher M. Blanchard and CRS Insight IN10866,
Joint ResolutionSeeks to End U.S. Support for Saudi
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led Coalition Military Operations in Yemen
, by ChristopherM. Blanchard, Jeremy M. Sharp, and Matthew C. Weed