Introduction
In March 2015, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Arab allies initiated a series of air strikes
against_Houthi_targets_in_Sana’a___den__and_other_parts of Yemen, leading to an ongoing conflict between
pro-government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi militias allied with units of the
armed forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. A recent report from the United Nations (UN)
Panel of Experts on Yemen states that all sides in the conflict have breached international law.1 The
situation is made more complex by the presence of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and of an
affiliate of Islamic State in the east of Yemen, each of which has carried out attacks against the forces
embroiled in the conflict.
Although the conflict in Syria has overshadowed that in Yemen, the humanitarian situation in Yemen
continues to deteriorate. Within a month of the start of the conflict, Yemen was on the verge of a
humanitarian crisis__The_naval_blockade_enforced_by_the_coalition_and_airstrike_damage_to_Yemen’s_airports
and other infrastructure are serious impediments to the delivery of humanitarian aid and exacerbated
serious fuel shortages. Multiple attempts to implement ceasefires to allow delivery of fuel, medical
supplies, and food by international organizations have been unsuccessful, and delivery of humanitarian
aid to those most in need has been difficult and sporadic. In April 2016, the UN Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that between March 26, 2015 and March 17, 2016, more than
2.76 million Yemenis have been displaced, 14.4 million Yemenis are food insecure,2 and just under 9,000,
including 3,218 civilians, have been killed.3
The UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has worked with all parties to the conflict to try to
broker peace talks based on UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2216 adopted in April 2015 (see
Annex 1). UNSCR 2216 requires the Houthis to withdraw from all areas seized during the latest conflict,
relinquish arms seized from military and security institutions, and cease all actions falling exclusively
within the authority of the legitimate Yemeni Government .4 The resolution states that this political
solution should include “drafting a new constitution, electoral reform, the holding of a referendum on the
draft constitution and timely general elections, to avoid further deterioration of the humanitarian and
security situation in Yemen.” Paragraph 6 calls on all parties to: