Topic: The Situation in Yemen
Country: Thailand
Delegate Name: Alex Zheng
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Thailand position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
From 2015 the Republic of Yemen has been trapped within a maelstrom of fear terror and war. During the first 18 months of the Yemen civil war over 10,000 men, women, and children lost their lives. The people of Yemen continue to suffer at the hand of both the Houthi forces as well as the supporters of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi; with many citizens falling victim to attacks by both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic state (ISIS). Both sides, the Houthis and Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have agreed to cease fires only to have betray each other.
The significant loss of life, within the nation of Yemen is appalling. It is the duty of all civilized nations to help stall the bloodshed in Yemen. Both the Houthi forces as well as the supporters of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi are responsible for much bloodshed. The Houthi forces are being accused of harboring terrorists, and the Saudi Arabia backed government has fired airstrikes on civilian targets. It is absolutely imperative for both sides to achieve a peaceful solution and stop any further bloodshed. A Saudi air strike on the capitol (august 23 2017) killed an estimated 71 civilians. With the death toll rising over 10,000 and over 40,000 injured over the first two years of the Yemen civil war; humanitarian aid is and should be a top priority of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee. Trucks carrying humanitarian aid like winter coats and blankets have been destroyed by suicide bombers and rocket attacks. It is vital for the survival of the Republic of Yemen to create a bilateral solution between both sides to establish a temporary cease fire at the least to deliver aid. As past experiences have demonstrated; cease-fires must be enforced or they will inevitably collapse. During a November 2016 two day cease fire, the peace broke down into violence as both sides blame the other for violating the peace.
Thailand recommends that a cease fire be brokered for the purpose of delivering aid and evacuating wounded from war zones and their neighboring regions. Since the past cease fires have been futile due to distrust and hatred. For the cease fire to remain effective it must be enforced by a UN coalition peacekeeping force. The peacekeeping force must also only included countries neutral to the Yemen civil war.
