YEMEN

Yemen, also known as South Arabia, is a country on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula with a population estimated at over 30,000,000. Its constitutionally stated capital, and largest city, is Sana’a. Currently, Yemen is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

In ancient times, the country was known as Saba (Sheba) and was the home of the Queen of Sheba. It was a trading state that included parts of modern-day Ethiopia and Eritrea. Saba was later followed by the Kingdom of Awsan. By 275 CE, Yemen was ruled by the Himyarites who had adopted Judaism. Christianity arrived in the fourth century. Islam spread quickly in the seventh century and Yemenite troops were crucial to the Islamic conquests that followed. Several dynasties emerged between the 9th and 16th centuries and in the 19th century, the country was divided between the Ottoman (North Yemen) and British (South Yemen) empires. After World War I, the Zaydi Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen was established in South Yemen but was overthrown in 1962 and the Yemen Arab Republic, a British protectorate, was created in its place. It remained a British protectorate until 1967 when it became independent. In 1990, North and South Yemen united to form the modern Republic of Yemen (al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah) with Ali Abdullah Saleh as president. With the outbreak of the Arab Spring, the people of Yemen took to the streets to protest widespread poverty, unemployment, corruption, and Saleh's plan to amend the constitution and eliminate the presidential term limit. Eventually, Saleh stepped down and the powers of the presidency were transferred to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Since then, the country has been in a civil war (alongside the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention aimed at restoring Hadi's government) with several proto-state entities claiming to govern Yemen. At least 56,000 civilians and combatants have been killed since January 2016. The ongoing humanitarian crisis and conflict has received widespread criticism for having a dramatic worsening effect on Yemen's humanitarian situation, that some say has reached the level of a "humanitarian disaster". Today, Yemen belongs to the least developed country group, referring to its numerous "severe structural impediments to sustainable development". (see video)