HOUTHI ATTACKSThe Houthis: Four Things You Will Want to Know About the Yemeni Militia Targeted by U.K. and U.S. Military Strikes
The Houthis’ leadership has been drawn from the Houthi tribe, which is part of one of the three major tribal confederations in Yemen: the Hashid, the Madhaj and the Bakil. The Houthis are part of the Bakil confederation, the largest tribal group in Yemen. As the UK and US launch military strikes on the Yemeni group, after a spate of attacks by the Iran-backed militia on Red Sea shipping, here’s four things that you need to know about them.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah (or “supporters of God”), are a violent militia group that currently exercise de facto control over much of northern Yemen. Formed in the 1990s, the group was named after its founder, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, and they follow the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam which represents 20-30% of Yemen’s population.
The group’s leadership has been drawn from the Houthi tribe, which is part of one of the three major tribal confederations in Yemen: the Hashid, the Madhaj and the Bakil. The Houthis are part of the Bakil confederation, the largest tribal group in Yemen. As the UK and US launch military strikes on the Yemeni group, after a spate of attacks by the Iran-backed militia on Red Sea shipping, here’s four things that you need to know about them.
1. Why Did the Houthis Form?
In order to understand the rise of the Houthis, it’s first important to lay out the turbulent history of Yemen. Yemen has struggled to build a unified and effective state and has been plagued by weak institutions, weak nationalism, insurgency and secessionism since its formation in 1990. The area that comprises Yemen today was split into two territories, north and south from the 19th century to 1990. After the collapse of the Ottoman empire, North Yemen became independent in 1918. The south of Yemen was under British control until 1967. The People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) was independent from 1967 to 1990. The two were unified in 1990.
Tribal identities remain strong, particularly in the north, and many different groups have held power. The Zaydi Shiites have fought for control of the territory that we now know as Yemen for thousands of years, with some success, and under the Houthis, control parts of northern Yemen.
If we fast forward to the modern era, Yemen has faced constant conflict and state failure. The north was ruled by former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh (a dictator who is part of another tribal group), since 1978, who then took over as president of a newly unified Yemen in 1990 . Saleh’s relatives controlled core parts of the army and economy – and corruption was rife.
