Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Part of the Arab Winter, the Yemeni Crisis and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict/Qatar–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
Military situation in Yemen on 13 February 2019      Controlled by the Supreme Political Council (Houthis)      Controlled by the Hadi-led government and allies      Controlled by Southern Transitional Council      Controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)      Controlled by Ansar al-Sharia and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) (For a map of the military situation in Yemen and border areas in Saudi Arabia, see the detailed map here.)
Date 19 March 2015 – ongoing (10 years, 2 months, 4 weeks and 1 day) Location Yemen, southern Saudi Arabia (spillovers) Status Ongoing Yemen's capital city, Sana'a, captured by the Houthis. Saudi-led coalition forces intervene in Yemen to restore the Hadi-led government. The Hadi-led government is reestablished in Aden. 2016–19 Yemen cholera outbreak Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh is shot and killed by a Houthi sniper in the Battle of Sana'a; Houthis gain absolute control over the entire city. Aden is captured by Southern Transitional Council forces from pro-Hadi forces in the Battle of Aden. Territorial changes As of May 2016: AQAP controls 36% of the country (193,000 km²)
Main belligerents
Supreme Political Council Houthis Pro-Saleh forces (until 2017) Some Popular Committees Sana'a-GPC forces Alleged support:  Iran Hezbollah  North Korea	Cabinet of Yemen Pro-Hadi Security forces Yemen National Army (YNA) Al-Islah Popular Resistance Committees Popular Committees Southern Movement Strategic Reserve (pro-Hadi Saleh forces) Saudi-led coalition  Saudi Arabia  United Arab Emirates  Senegal  Sudan  Morocco (2015–19)  Qatar (2015–17) Academi security contractors Under 1,000 troops:  Bahrain  Egypt  Kuwait  Jordan Green Berets French Army Special Forces Command Academi Support:  United Kingdom  France  Italy  United States  Spain  NATO  Switzerland  China Southern Transitional Council (from 2017) Tareq Saleh forces (from 2017) National Resistance Tihamah Resistance Support:  United Arab Emirates	Al-Qaeda Ansar al-Sharia AQAP ISIL-YP
Commanders and leaders
Mohamed al-Atifi (2016–) Mohammed al-Houthi (2015–) Mahdi al-Mashat (2018–) Hussein Khairan (2015−16) Abdul-Malik al-Houthi Abu Bakr al-Salami Casualties: Ali Raymi  † Yahya Hassan Al-Emad  † Ahmed Mohsen Ali Al-Harbi  † Abdul-Malik Al-Arar  † Ali Alzviv  † Abdul Razzaq Al-Marwani  † Mohammed bin Hilal  † Ali bin Ali Al-Jaifi  † Abdul-Qader Hilal  † Mansoor Mujahed Namran  † Ahmad Al-Khatib  † Hasan Abdullah Almalsi  † Hashim al-Barawi  † Abu Hamza al-Houthi  † Hassan Yahya al-Sharafi  † Abdul-Khaliq al-Houthi (POW) Abu Jabar Ahmad al-Houthi (POW) Hussain al-Mutawakel (POW) Ali Abdullah Saleh  † Saleh al-Sammad  †	Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi Ali Mohsen (2016–) Khaled Bahah (2015–16) Hussein Arab (until 2017) Ahmed Saleh (2017–) Tareq Saleh (2017–) Saudi-led coalition: King Salman Muhammad bin Salman Mohammed bin Zayed Tamim bin Hamad (2015–17) Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan Macky Sall Mohamed VI (2015–19) Under 1,000 troops Abdullah II Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Casualties: Lt. Gen. Muhammad Al Shaalan  † Maj. Gen. Abdulrahman bin Saad al-Shahrani  † Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Hamzi  † Col. Abdullah al-Sahian  † Col. Hassan Ghasoum Ageeli  † Lt. Col. Abdullah al-Balwi  † Col. Mohammed Ali al-Kitbi  † Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa (WIA) Ali Abdullah Saleh  † Mahmoud al-Subaihi (POW) Gen. Abd Rabbo Hussein  † Gen. Ahmad Seif Al-Yafei   † Maj. Gen. Abdul-Rab al-Shadadi  † Maj. Gen. Jaafar Mohammed Saad  † Brig. Gen. Hameed al-Qushaibi  † Cmdr. Jarallah Salhi  † Capt. Zafir Mansour Ahmed Al-Turki  †	Nasir al-Wuhayshi  † Qasim al-Raymi Nasser al-Ansi  † Ibrahim al-Rubaish  † Khalid Batarfi Ibrahim al Qosi Abu Bilal al-Harbi Abu Osama al-Muhajer (POW)
Strength
Supreme Political Council: 150,000–200,000 fighters	100 warplanes and 150,000 soldiers 30 warplanes 15 warplanes and 300 troops 15 warplanes 10 warplanes and 1,000 soldiers 6 warplanes 6 warplanes and 1,500 troops 4 warplanes and 6,000 troops 2,100 troops 4 warships and warplanes 1,800 security contractors	Ansar al-Sharia AQAP: 6,000–8,000 ISIL: 300
Casualties and losses
"Thousands" killed (per Al Jazeera; as of May 2018) 11,000+ killed (Arab Coalition claim; as of December 2017)	1,000-3,000 soldiers killed 10 captured; 3 aircraft lost; 9 helicopters lost 20 M1A2S lost 1 frigate damaged Over 120 soldiers killed 3 aircraft lost 3 helicopters lost 1 watercraft damaged (HSV-2 Swift) 1,000–1,200 soldiers killed 8 soldiers killed 1 F-16 crashed 4 soldiers killed 1 soldier killed 1 F-16 shot down 1 F-16 lost Academi: 15 PMCs killed	1,000 killed, 1,500 captured
91,600+ killed overall in Yemen (11,700+ civilians) 500+ killed overall in Saudi Arabia 49,960 wounded overall in Yemen (10,768 civilians) 3,154,572 people displaced 84,701 children died from starvation (per Save the Children) and 2,556 people died due to a cholera outbreak (April 2017–October 2018)

The Yemeni Civil War is a conflict that started in 2015 in the country of Yemen. It is mainly a fight between two groups. One group supports the government led by President Hadi. The other group is the Houthi movement, along with their allies. Both groups believe they are the rightful government of Yemen.

The Houthis took control of Yemen's capital city, Sanaʽa. They teamed up with forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. These groups have been fighting against Hadi's supporters, who are based in the city of Aden. Other groups like Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have also been involved. They have carried out attacks and control some areas.

In March 2015, after taking Sanaʽa, the Houthis announced they would try to take over more areas. They started moving into southern parts of Yemen. By March 25, they reached the city of Aden, where Hadi's government was. President Hadi then left the country. At the same time, a group of countries led by Saudi Arabia started military actions. They used air strikes to try and bring back Hadi's government. The United States helped this group with information and supplies.

Impact of the Conflict

The war has caused a lot of suffering for people in Yemen. From 2015 to 2017, thousands of people were killed, including many regular citizens. Many more have been affected by a severe lack of food, which is called a famine. This has led to many deaths.

International Involvement

The conflict is often seen as a proxy war. This means bigger countries are supporting different sides without directly fighting each other. For example, Iran is believed to support the Houthis. Saudi Arabia is against the Houthis and is trying to stop Iran's influence in the region.

In 2018, the UN warned that millions of people in Yemen were at risk of starvation. They said it could become the worst famine in a century. Many countries have criticized the Saudi-led group for bombing areas where civilians live. These bombings have caused many injuries and deaths among regular people.

US Support and Concerns

The United States has provided bombs and other help to the Saudi forces. In March 2019, the US Senate tried to pass a resolution to stop this support. However, President of the United States Donald Trump stopped it. In May, the Senate was not able to overrule his decision.

Images for kids

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  Three Saudi F-15Cs from 13th Squadron

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  President Hadi meets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 7 May 2015

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  Saudi soldier from the First Airborne Brigade conversing with an Emirati soldier in Yemen, June 2016.

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  Destroyed house in the south of Sanaa, 13 June 2015

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  Yemeni capital Sanaa after airstrikes, 9 October 2015

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  Registration of Indian citizens evacuating from Yemen in March 2015

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  Code Pink anti-war activists protest U.S. Senators supporting Saudi-U.S. arms deals, December 2017

See also

In Spanish: Guerra civil yemení (2014-presente) para niños