Yemen’s Endless War: A Nation in Ruins.

Yemen’s civil war, now in its second decade, has become one of the world’s most complex and devastating conflicts. At its core lies a struggle for power between the internationally recognised Yemeni government and the Houthi movement — a Shiite-aligned group that rose from the country’s rugged north.

The war’s spark came in 2014, when Houthi fighters seized the capital, Sana’a, accusing the government of corruption and neglect. By 2015, the Houthis had pushed the government into exile, prompting a Saudi-led military coalition — backed by the United Arab Emirates and supported diplomatically by Western powers — to intervene. Their stated aim: to restore the government and prevent what they saw as an Iranian foothold on the Arabian Peninsula.

Instead, Yemen descended into a grinding proxy war. The Houthis, bolstered by limited Iranian support, dug in against one of the region’s wealthiest coalitions. Cities were shattered by airstrikes, rural areas starved by blockades, and armed groups — including separatists in the south and al-Qaeda militants — thrived in the chaos.

The cost has been staggering. The United Nations calls it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Millions have been displaced, food insecurity has reached famine levels, and basic infrastructure — from hospitals to schools — lies in ruins. Peace talks have flickered and faded, with fragile ceasefires broken time and again.

Today, Yemen remains a fractured state. The Houthis still control Sana’a and much of the north, while the recognised government struggles to assert authority from Aden. For ordinary Yemenis, survival has become the daily battle — trapped in a war that shows little sign of resolution.