Peace Process for Yemen

Alex Stark wrote about how the United States should support a more inclusive peace process in Yemen in the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Sada blog.

Yemen’s conflict may be entering a critical phase. That’s not because the war has become easier to end; if anything, almost seven years of fighting and factionalization of -armed groups, many with the support of external actors- has only made the war more complex. But the Biden administration’s changed approach to the war, regional actors who appear more open to compromise (or at least to talking), and the appointment of a new UN Special Envoy have all created a window of opportunity for reaching a nation-wide ceasefire and beginning peace negotiations in earnest. 

The UN and U.S. Special Envoys should take advantage of this reset and give negotiations a better chance for success by making them more inclusive, and bringing civil society actors, with an emphasis on including Yemeni women, into the main track of negotiations. So far, the Envoys’ efforts have largely focused on negotiating a ceasefire and agreement on the basis for a new political process between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government of Yemen (and its backers, including Saudi Arabia). Although a ceasefire between these two parties is badly needed. But this would only be the first step in a much longer process. A comprehensive peace process should not go forward without a more inclusive framework for negotiations.