Yemen will take years to recover from conflict

Subject

Yemen humanitarian situation.

Significance

December will mark the ninth month since a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates started fighting against an alliance of Huthi militants and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdallah Saleh in an attempt to reinstate the government of President Abd Rabbu Hadi Mansour. As a result, over 80% of the country's population of 26 million are in need of emergency assistance, and vital infrastructure has been destroyed.

Impacts

• Yemen's social and political disintegration will deepen, and will be difficult to reverse.
• Concerns over the the humanitarian crisis's political impact will accelerate efforts to broker an end to the conflict.
• Traumatic stress, child malnutrition and lost schooling will reduce labour force capabilities for a generation.
• Reconstruction costs will put further stress on Saudi, UAE finances.