1. YEMEN'S CRISIS:
THE HOUTHIS TAKE OVER
A struggle for power
By
King David

2. In the early
1990's the
Houthis began
as a religious
peace group,
Ansar Allah
(Partisans of
God)
• 2004—hundreds die as troops battle Shia
insurgency
• 2005—the Houthis besieged a religious
school, clashes occurred and hundreds died
• After the Salalis religious group agreed to
leave the province the Houthis clashed the
Islah Party and army brigades allied to it.
• 2007—scores are killed or wounded in
clashes between security forces and Houthi
Rebels
• 2007—Houthis accept a ceasefire

3. Houthis allegiance to dead rebel leader—Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi
 He declared war on theYemen government in 2004

4.  Yemen is the poorest
country in the Middle
East
 It has a population of
24 million
 It's religion is mainly
Islam, only 3000
Christians and 400
Jews
 The capital city is
Sanaa—meaning
fortified place

5. Major
competitors
in the war
• TheYemen Government
• Houthi Rebels
• Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
• Al-Islah—a Sunni Islamist political movement, whose
leaders are targeted by the Houthis
• Al-Hirak—(SouthernYemen) has a strong secessionist
movement
• Former president Ali Abdullah al-Saleh and GeneralAli
Mohsen al-Ahmer: these two distant cousins ran the
country for decades before falling out because Saleh
refused to quit in the face of an "Arab Spring"

6. Houthis' demands of
the Yemen
government
 Protested, urged the government
to step down
 Demanded fuel subsidies be
reinstated
 Demanded the government
reflect the seats allocated to
political groups duringYemen's 10
month National Dialogue
Conference

7. Violence is
common in
Yemen
• 2008—Renewed clashes between security forces and
Houthi Rebels
• 2009—Tens of thousands of people are displaced as
Yemeni army attacks Houthi Rebels in Saada
• 2009—Northern Rebels and Saudi security forces clash
along the two countries' border
• 2010—Government signs ceasefire with northern
rebels

8. Allies in the
war
Yemen government allies
• Saudi Arabia
• United States and the UK
• They strongly backed a political settlement inYemen
following an uprising against the country's president
Houthis' Allies
• Iran—although Iran's physically arming the Houthis is
disputed, a ship carrying weapons from Iran was seized
inYemen in 2013.

9. The First War • The first war with the government erupted in 2004 on
grounds of self-defense.
• The then President Saleh saw the Houthis as a
challenge to his rule
• The Houthi supporters protested in Mosques in the
capital

10.  AL QAEDA'S AFFILIATE IN YEMEN INCLUDES THE
MOST POTENT BOMB MAKER IN THE TERRORIST
WORLD
 AL QAEDA STILL POSES A DIRECT THREAT TO
AMERICANS
 SINCE 2009 THE U.S. HAS THWARTED AT LEAST
THREE PLOTS BY THE GROUP TO BRING DOWN
AIRLINES
 YEMEN SERVED AS A PARTNER IN AMERICAN
COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATION AGAINST AL
QAEDA
The United States's Main Concern

11. ALTHOUGH THE HOUTHIS REPRESENT JUST A
QUARTER OF YEMEN'S POPULATION, THEY
WILL NEVER RULE THE COUNTRY, BUT THEY
SEEM STRONG ENOUGH TO HOLD ABAY AL-
QAEDA'S MILITANTS
Houthis' Strength andValue

12. Houthis and Al-Qaeda inYemen

13. Houthis despises
the U.S. U.S. connection toYemen
This government is a puppet in the hands of influential
forces, which is indifferent to the rightful and sincere
demands of these people
Houthi are Anti-Western and Pro-Iran
Houthis carry flags saying,
"Death to America, Death to
Isreal"

14. War continues  2010—Yemen says 3,000 soldiers killed in
outbreak of fighting involving Houthi Rebels
 2011—PresidentSaleh agrees to hand over
power to his deputy Abdrabbu mans our Hadi
 Hadi is elected President in 2012
Houthis continue their stand againstYemen

15. Houthis seize
the capital
 2014—Houthis Rebels take
control of the capital Sanaa
 The Houthis rejects the draft
of a new constitution proposed
by the government
 Houthi Rebels say they are
seizing power and that a
transitional five-member
presidential council will
replace President Hadi

16. Saudi to the
rescue
 President Hadi flees
house arrest in Sanaa,
escapes to Eden
 A Saudi led coalition of
Arab States mounts
airstrikes on Houthis

17. The UN's
warning:
"Yemen is
on the verge
of total
collapse"

18.  NAME 3 COMPETITORS IN THE YEMEN CRISIS WITH THE
HOUTHIS?
 WHY IS THE U.S. INVOLVED IN THE YEMEN CRISIS?
 WHEN DID THE FIRST WAR BEGIN BETWEEN YEMEN AND
THE HOUTHIS?
 NAME TWO DEMANDS THE HOUTHIS MADE TO THE
YEMEN GOVERNMENT
 WHAT COUNTRY CAME TO THE YEMEN GOVERNMENT'S
RESCUE WHEN THE HOUTHIS SEIZED THE CAPITAL?
Test questions