On Friday, the president of the United States signed an executive order freezing entrance into the US from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days and suspending all refugee admission for 120 days. The countries banned are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen. This order has caused outcry from human rights organizations, legal scholars, and the international community. This week Her Campus Lasell will feature an informational article on each country whose citizens have been banned from the US in order to increase understanding of the complex nature of these countries and their citizens.
Yemen
Demographics
Yemen, also known as the Republic of Yemen, is the poorest country in the Middle East. It is geographically the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula, and shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. Yemen has a very young population, as 46 percent of Yemenis are under 15 years of age. The population is expected to almost triple by 2050. Yemen is a largely tribal society, with over 400 different tribes in just the northern region of the country. Yemen is a water-scarce country, and is predicted by many scientists to be the first country on Earth to run out of water. After the 2015 Yemeni Civil War, there were reports that 80 percent of Yemenis struggle to get access to water. Yemen is a primarily Muslim country, with 60 percent of the population being Sunni and 35 percent Shia. In 2008 Yemen increased education spending, increasing the overall literacy rate to 64 percent. Yemen is home to four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
History
Due to its strategic position as a trade route on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen’s history has been defined by the conquering and rule of different empires since the beginning of its recorded history. Its modern history begins in the 1500s when it was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Yemenis fought against the Turks, eventually securing some sovereignty for their own nation. However in the 1800s the British took over the capital city of Yemen, causing violent conflict between the British and the Turks, who wanted to reclaim the territory. British presence in the area continued to cause conflict until the early 1900s, when Yemeni leaders signed an agreement giving the British their capital city to stop the violence. This essentially split Yemen into two states, North and South Yemen. Both states revolted against colonial powers, and in 1968 the North formed the Yemen Arab Republic and the South became the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen. From 1972-1990 there was civil war between the two states until their eventual unification. However, unification did not last for long, and another civil war began in 1994. With the aid of Saudi Arabia, the south prevailed. In 1999 the first democratic election were held in Yemen. Due to political unrest and corruption, al-Qaeda has a large presence in Yemen, making the country a target for U.S. drone strikes since 2009.
Government
Since 2011, Yemen has been in a state of political crisis. This began as street uprisings, provoked by the Arab Spring, protesting poverty, corruption, and a lack of political ethics. Due to the protests, the then-president stepped down and the powers of the presidency were transferred to the vice president. The transition was disrupted by conflicts between different tribes, as well as the increasing power of al-Qaeda. In September 2014 a group called the Houthis took control of the government in a military coup. This caused another civil war to break out. Currently the government is again split into two, with the old government refusing to give up power and the Houthis claiming they control the state. Both the United States and Saudi Arabia have intervened in the conflict on the ground and with drone strikes however there has been little to no progress towards ending the violence and destruction in the region.
Human Rights
Yemen has a very weak record on the recognition of human rights. Due to rampant political corruption, those who speak out against their government are often illegally imprisoned, tortured, or killed. Freedom of press, speech, and religion are all restricted. Homosexuality is a crime punishable by death, and child marriage is a commonly accepted practice in the area. Sometimes girls as young as nine years old are married off. Though slavery is illegal, it is still present in Yemen, as well as human trafficking. Yemen ranked last on a list of 135 countries in the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report.
Terrorism
In 2009 the Yemeni and Saudi Arabian branches of al-Qaeda merged together, and are now based in Yemen. The Yemen and Saudi forces joined together to fight this group, displacing thousands of people and contributing to the instability in the region. Differing political groups have also taken to terrorism in an attempt to gain power, with thousands of innocent civilians being killed in car bombings, suicide bombings, and shootings. ISIS has also recently gained ground in the area, claiming bloody suicide bombings in mosques in the capital city.
US-Yemen Relations
Since 9/11, Yemen has been a cooperative intelligence partner with the U.S., working to gather information and eradicate terror in the area. The U.S. provides humanitarian aid to Yemen, helping their citizens who struggle for access to food and water. In 2007, 17 U.S. personnel were killed in an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen. In 2009 the United States began an airstrike campaign on Yemen with a focus on al-Qaeda. One airstrike, intended for an al-Qaeda operatives, missed and hit a village. 55 civilians, including 28 children, were killed. The U.S. has continued airstrikes since then, and in 2011 was criticized for a strike that killed three U.S. citizens. One U.S. Soldier was killed and three injured in a raid in Yemen in January 2017. 14 al-Qaeda members were killed in the raid, as well as the eight-year-old daughter of one of the members.
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