Sanaa, Yemen – Nayef has been working as a government soldier in southern Yemen for nine years. When he joined the government army in 2016, aged just 19, he thought the Yemeni government’s fight against the Houthi rebels would be short-lived. Ten years later, the conflict remains unresolved and the Houthis remain in Sanaa.
Mr. Nuff was clear about the reasons for the government’s failure: lack of unity and clear chain of command. For years, government soldiers and other anti-Houthi fighters have pursued conflicting policies across the country, with many fighters in the south supporting the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC). Mr. Neff thought that the solution to this division was far-fetched.
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However, recently things have changed. The STC’s decision to seize control of entire areas of southern and eastern Yemen has backfired, with Saudi Arabia supporting pro-government forces pushing the group back. STC is currently split, with one leader on the run and others declaring the group disbanded.
Yemen’s UN-recognized authority, the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), led by President Rashad Al Alimi, took the initiative and on January 10 established the Supreme Military Committee (SMC), which aims to oversee all anti-Houthi military forces and integrate them into the official Yemeni army under one command.
Al Alimi said the SMC would ultimately be the means to defeat the Houthis and take back all of Yemen.
The SMC announcement marks a dramatic turn in the decade-long war, and Naef is now finally feeling hopeful.
“Today I am optimistic because the government has restored some power in southern Yemen,” he told Al Jazeera. “The establishment of a comprehensive military commission is a morale booster and a prelude to the return of a strong government.”
The soldier believes that after years of inertia, the tide is finally turning in the government’s favor. After nine years of experience on multiple fronts, Neff now believes that if negotiations fail, the government could invade Houthi-held northwestern Yemen with support from Saudi Arabia.
“The PLC, with the support of the Saudi leadership, has achieved remarkable success in the south in recent weeks, proving once again that it is an indispensable party to the conflict. It remains to be seen whether this success will be short-lived or long-lasting,” Neff said.
concern and rebellion
The formation of the SMC has caused a sense of unrest among Houthi supporters in northern Yemen.
Hamza Abdou, 24, a Houthi supporter in Sanaa, describes the new military committee as “an attempt to form a proxy organization in the south.”
“This commission may end friction between armed groups in the south, but it will deepen the south’s subjugation to Saudi Arabia,” Hamza said. The Houthis have often portrayed their opponents as proxies controlled by foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They themselves are supported by Iran.
In light of these developments, Mr. Hamza shared his concerns. It is a resumption of the war between the Houthis and their rivals, which has been largely frozen since 2022.
“If this military commission succeeds in uniting the troops of the South, it may encourage them to attack the North,” he said. “A new devastating war will begin and the humanitarian challenge will grow.”
Like many civilians, Hamza now fears war will resume. But Houthi leaders remain confident, although they warn that their forces must remain vigilant, saying the creation of the SMC will not affect their power or weaken their control.
Aziz Rashid, a pro-Houthi military expert, believed the SMC would not change the status quo and argued that a future confrontation with the Houthis would “only serve the aims and plans of the US-backed Zionist organization.” [Israel]”.
Rashid said Houthi forces in Sanaa were “facing strong international forces, including those from the US, UK and Israel, and are taking a resolute stance against the rebels.” [Saudi-led Arab] Coalition governments over the past decade.
Rashid said the only solution for Yemen is a political solution.
The Iranian-backed Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 and overthrew the UN-recognized government in February 2015. They claim to be the sole legitimate authority governing Yemen.
The Houthis have faced attacks from the US, UK and Israel since 2023, when the Yemeni group began attacking ships and Israel itself in the Red Sea, and the Houthis declared solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
scary message
Defeating the Houthis will be easier said than done, given the Saudi-backed coalition’s failure to win with overwhelming air power in the early stages of the war, and the group’s current extensive combat experience and advanced weaponry, including drones and missiles.
But if the Yemeni army really reorganizes and integrates the various anti-Houthi forces on the ground, there may be a chance.
Adel Dashera, a Yemeni researcher and non-resident fellow at MESA Global Academy, said that if the SMC could provide security and stability in areas under its control, it could also improve the lives of Yemenis living there and could put itself in a stronger position in negotiations with the Houthis.
“The next step is to start a political process to reach an agreement with the Houthis. If peaceful options fail, military action will be necessary,” Dasshera told Al Jazeera.
Abdulsalam Mohamed, director of the Yemeni Abad Research Center, believes that recent events in Yemen and abroad present a perfect opportunity for the government to confront the Houthis.
“With limited military operations, the UAE-backed STC was routed within days,” Mohammed said. “What happened to the STC in the south sent a terrible message to the Houthis in the north. The Houthis are not invincible.”
According to Mohammed, several factors currently make the Houthis more vulnerable.
“Iran is facing a major crisis, which could weaken the Iranian government’s proxy group, the Houthis,” he said. “Given the economic and governance problems in the areas it controls, quiet public anger against the group continues to grow. Moreover, the UAE’s withdrawal from the south could allow the Yemeni government to shift the fight to the Houthis in the north.”
desperate for order
The number of armed groups in Yemen has increased rapidly over the past decade. As a result, the government was weakened and the war prolonged. Amidst the chaos, the people are bearing the brunt.
Fawaz Ahmed, 33, a resident of the southern city of Aden, hopes the establishment of a military committee will end the presence of armed groups in Aden and other southern cities.
Fawaz expects Aden to gain two immediate benefits from the formation of the SMC. This means an end to illegal fundraising by militants and an end to internal conflicts between competing armed forces.
He recalled an incident that took place in Aden’s Hormaksar district in August last year. In the incident, two military units clashed at the headquarters of the Immigration and Passport Administration, resulting in the closure of the facility for several days.
“Commanders of the armed groups gave conflicting instructions and soldiers fired at each other. This clearly shows the absence of a unified leadership. Therefore, the declared military commission will prevent such a confrontation,” Fawaz said.
“We desperately want law and order,” Fawaz said. “We aspire to a city free of unnecessary military presence. This is the collective dream of Aden. Only unified military leadership can achieve this.”
