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Early Years: Saleh and the Houthis

1990’s – After the reunification of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh transitions from
president of North Yemen—a post he had held since 1978—to president of the
Republic of Yemen. At the same time, the Zaidi-Shia group Ansar Allah—or the
Houthis—gradually gain power; the group’s rise has the tacit support of President
Saleh.

1994: Civil War – Just years after the reunification of Yemen, the unintegrated
armies of the north and the south face off, resulting in a brief civil war that resulted
in the defeat of the southern army and shored up Yemen’s reunification.

2000 – Saleh reaches a border demarcation agreement with Saudi Arabia (Treaty of
Jeddah) and seeks to disarm the Houthis, whom he had viewed previously as a
useful cudgel against Saudi interference in Yemen.

2004-2010: Houthi Rebellion

Tensions run high between Saleh’s government and the Houthis—led by Hussein
Badreddin al-Houthi—after Saleh’s border deal with Saudi Arabia. Al-Houthi
eventually leads a rebellion against the Yemeni government in 2004.

June-September 2004 – Starting in June 2004, Saleh’s government begins

arresting hundreds of Houthi members and issues a reward for Hussein Badreddin
al-Houthi’s arrest. Fighting continues until al-Houthi is killed in September.

March-June 2005 – Fighting between the Houthis—now led by Hussein’s brother,

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi—and government forces surges, leaving hundreds dead.
Fighting ceases after the sides reach an agreement, resulting in the surrender of the
Houthis’ top military commander.

2005-2006 – Sporadic clashes between the government and the Houthis continue,
but in March 2006, Saleh grants amnesty to 600 Houthi fighters. Saleh goes on to
win the 2006 election.

January-June 2007 – Early in 2007, the Houthi rebels and Saleh’s government
again find themselves at odds. Fighting continues for five months until Abdul-Malik
al-Houthi reaches a ceasefire agreement with Saleh with the help of Qatar.

April-July 2008 – The ceasefire had not turned a year-old when more fighting
breaks out between the government and the rebels. By July, Ali Abdullah Saleh
declares an end to the fighting in the Houthi-dominated Saada governorate.

2009-2010: Operation Scorched Earth – In August 2009, the Yemeni military

launches Operation Scorched Earth to crush the Houthi rebellion in Saada. At this
point, Houthi rebels begin fighting with Saudi forces in cross-border clashes. Fighting
continues until, after rounds of offers and counteroffers, Saleh’s government agrees
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to a ceasefire with Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and the rebels in February 2010. The
Yemeni military simultaneously carries out Operation Blow to the Head, a crackdown
on both the rebels and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

September 2010 – Government forces besiege the governorate of Shabwa in

southeast Yemen to root out AQAP militants.

2011: Arab Spring Reaches Yemen

January 2011 – Demonstrations calling for the end of Saleh’s 33-year rule begin.
Saleh offers some concessions—promising not to seek reelection—but the protests
spread. Security forces and Saleh supporters launch a crackdown that eventually
leaves between 200 and 2,000 people dead.

April 2011 – Saleh’s General People’s Congress (GPC) agrees to a Gulf

Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered deal to hand over power, but the president
refuses to sign on. This prompts the influential Hashid tribal federation and several
army commanders to back the opposition, after which clashes erupt in Sanaa.

June 2011 – Saleh is seriously injured in a bombing and travels to Saudi Arabia for
medical treatment.

September 2011 – Saleh returns to the presidential palace amid renewed clashes.
It is not until November 2011 that he signs a deal that has his deputy, Abdrabbuh
Mansour Hadi, assume power and form a unity government.

February 2012 – Hadi is sworn in for a two-year term as president after an election
in which he stood unopposed.

Post-Arab Spring: Unity Government and Houthi Takeover

January 2014 – The National Dialogue Conference concludes after ten months of
deliberations, agreeing to a document on which the new constitution would be
based.

February 2014 – A presidential panel approves a political transition plan for Yemen
that organizes the country into a federation of six regions.

August 2014 – Following two weeks of anti-government protests, President Hadi

dissolves his cabinet and overturns a controversial rise in fuel prices.

September-October 2014 – The Houthis take control over most of Yemen’s capital,
Sanaa. The following month the rebels seize the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.

January 2015 – After being placed under house arrest by the Houthis, Hadi resigns
as president. Despite previous attempts to craft a power-sharing agreement between
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Hadi and the Houthis, the two had continued to clash. The Houthis later reject a draft
constitution proposed by Hadi’s government.

February 2015 – The Houthis take control of the Yemeni government, a move swiftly
denounced by the United Nations. President Hadi flees the presidential palace in
Sanaa and escapes to Aden, where he later rescinds his resignation, declaring
himself the legitimate president, and deems the Houthi takeover a “coup.”

March 2015 – The Islamic State claims its first major attacks in Yemen, setting off
two suicide bombs at Shia mosques in Sanaa. The Houthis start an offensive against
government forces, advancing toward southern Yemen. President Hadi flees Aden
and takes refuge in Saudi Arabia. Shortly thereafter, the Houthis seize parts of Taiz.

Saudi-led Coalition and Civil War

March 2015: Operation Decisive Storm – After repeated pleas from Hadi, a Saudi-
led coalition of Arab states—including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Morocco,
Jordan, Bahrain, Sudan, and Kuwait—initiates Operation Decisive Storm in support
of the ousted president. The coalition launches air strikes against Houthi targets,
deploys small ground forces, and imposes a naval blockade. The United States
announces its intention to aid the coalition’s efforts.

April 2015: Operation Restoring Hope – The coalition declares an end to

Operation Decisive Storm. Saudi Arabia announces it would move on to a phase
described as Operation Restoring Hope. Despite the announcement, the Saudi-led
coalition continues to bomb Houthi positions and the United States increases its
arms sales for the Saudi campaign in Yemen.

April 2015 – Despite the bombing campaign, the Houthis capture the city of Ataq.
After three Saudi officers die in a Houthi attack at the Saudi border, Saudi Arabia
boosts its border security. The Houthi fighters also condemn a UN Security Council
resolution imposing an arms embargo on the group, calling the decision an act of
“aggression.”

May 2015 – Ali Abdullah Saleh had previously been accused of siding with the
Houthi rebels in support of Hadi’s ouster; in May, Saleh and Yemeni forces loyal to
him announce a formal alliance with the Houthis. The Saudis and Houthis agree to
a five-day “humanitarian ceasefire.” US President Barack Obama convenes a GCC
meeting at Camp David to resolve the crisis in Yemen, but only two states send their
leaders.

August 2015 – After months of fighting with Sunni tribesmen and AQAP militants,
the Houthis take control of the entire Shabwah governorate.

September 2015 – President Hadi returns to Aden after Saudi-backed government

forces and those loyal to Hadi recapture the port city from Houthi forces.
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April 2016 – The United Nations sponsors talks between the Hadi government and
the coalition of Houthis and former President Saleh’s General People’s Congress.

October 2016-May 2017 – Both sides of the conflict allegedly break ceasefires. The
United Nations and others try to broker peace talks and political resolutions. The
Houthis claim responsibility for firing missiles into Saudi Arabia, including at the
capital, Riyadh.

May-November 2017 – Humanitarian agencies and watchdogs decry the Yemen

crisis as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world. There are
thousands of civilians dead and wounded, an outbreak of cholera, and a potential
famine that would leave thousands on the brink of starvation.

November 2017 – Saudi Arabia intercepts a missile fired toward its airport in Riyadh
and blames the Houthis, Iran, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah for escalating the war.

December 2017 – After Saleh had reversed course and sided with the Saudi-led
coalition, fierce fighting in Sanaa between the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh
leaves the former president dead. The Houthis control much of northern Yemen but
face stiff opposition from the Saudi-led coalition. President Hadi—whose loyalists
control much of south Yemen—has called for a popular uprising against Houthi rule
in the north. Saleh’s son, Ahmed Ali Saleh, has vowed revenge against the Houthis
for his father’s assassination.

January 2018 – In a firefight, the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the United
Arab Emirates-backed separatist movement seeking a revival of the formerly
independent South Yemen, seizes control of Aden, Yemen’s main southern city and
government headquarters. By March, 22 million Yemenis require humanitarian aid.

February 2018 – The United Nations appoints longtime British diplomat Martin
Griffiths as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.

March-May 2018 – Fighting escalates along Yemen’s western coast and dozens are
killed in Saudi air strikes and security raids. A Saudi-led coalition drone strike kills
Saleh Ali al-Sammad, president of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, making him
the most senior Houthi casualty since the coalition began its activities in 2015.
International opposition to the coalition’s operations grows after an air raid kills more
than 20 at a wedding party. In May, UAE forces take over the island of Socotra,
occupying the airport and seaport and causing tensions with Yemeni government
officials.

June-July 2018 – Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi meets with UAE
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan and, by July, the coalition launches
an offensive on the port city of Hodeida.

August-October 2018 – International furor over the Saudi-led coalition’s war in

Yemen grows after an air raid strikes a school bus, killing 40, mostly children. Public
opinion of US support for the war effort in the United States plummets as it is
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reported that the bomb used in the air raid was US-supplied. In October, US resident
and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi is assassinated by Saudi agents
in Istanbul, raising additional questions about US support for Riyadh’s war on
Yemen. UN efforts to mediate between the Yemeni government and the Houthi
rebels in Geneva, Switzerland are fruitless.

November-December 2018 – The US political establishment begins to agitate for

withdrawing US support from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Former Obama
Administration officials—including future Secretary of State Antony Blinken, future
UN Ambassador nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and future National Security
Advisor to President Joe Biden Jake Sullivan—sign an open letter expressing
remorse for their support for the war and urging all sides to end the fighting. In
December 2018, the US Senate, for the first time, votes to invoke the War Powers
Resolution to force the US military to end its participation in the Yemen war.

Later that month, after UN-mediated talks, the Yemeni government and the Houthis
sign the Stockholm Agreement that includes prisoner swaps, a mutual redeployment
of forces away from Hodeida Port, and a committee to discuss the contested city of
Taiz. The cease-fire is set to take effect on December 18. Overall, the Stockholm
Agreement fails to achieve its goals and neither side agrees to withdraw from
Hodeida.

January-June 2019 – Fighting continues. Houthis launch a drone attack on Al-Anad

Air Base north of Aden, injuring dozens and killing the head of Yemeni intelligence.
By June, the UAE unilaterally scales back its military presence in Yemen while
continuing to support the STC, which had seized more power in Aden. Meanwhile,
the Houthis step up efforts to attack Saudi territory, including launching missiles at
oil installations and airports. Saudi and Yemeni forces capture Abu Osama al-
Muhajer, leader of the so-called Islamic State-Yemen Province (IS-YP).

In Washington, Secretary of Defense James Mattis’s resignation in December 2018

takes effect in February 2019, marking an end to the Trump Administration’s efforts
to engage in the Yemen peace process. In April, President Donald Trump vetoes a
bipartisan congressional measure that would force the US military to end its role in
the Yemen war.

July-September 2019 – The UAE announces it has completed its troop drawdown
in Yemen, but by August, the STC effectively assumes control of the southern
governorates of Aden, Abyan, and Shabwa. By the end of August, UAE forces
conduct air raids against Yemen government forces headed to Aden to regain
control.

In August, the Houthis launch “Operation Victory from God” against Saudi-led forces
and the group continues to escalate its attacks on Saudi oil installations. In
September, the Houthis claim to have used drones to bomb oil processing facilities
in Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi Arabia. The attacks result in Saudi Arabia
losing about half of its output capacity and, while the Houthis take credit for the
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aggression, the international community blames Iran because it was thought to have
provided the technical expertise needed to carry out such attacks.

November 2019 – In an effort to end the fighting between ostensible coalition

partners in southern Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE broker a power-sharing
agreement between their respective partners in the Yemen government forces and
the STC. The Riyadh Agreement is signed in early November, but by December,
clashes between the two resume.

January-February 2020 – Fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis
picks up. Houthi forces carry out missile attacks on military training camps and in
Saudi Arabia’s southern provinces. They claim to “liberate” roughly 1,550 square
miles of territory in the al-Jawf and Marib governorates from Saudi-led forces, a claim
the coalition denies.

March 2020 – Houthi forces capture the strategic city of al-Hazm in the al-Jawf
offensive and Saudi forces carry out a retaliatory air strike on Sanaa. This occurs as
the United Nations urges maintaining the cease-fire during the COVID-19 pandemic
to prevent its spread in Yemen.

The Trump Administration announces a freeze on $73 million in humanitarian aid to

Yemen, fearing the Houthi rebels would control the assistance.

April-May 2020 – In April, Saudi Arabia initiates a unilateral two-week cease-fire to

mitigate the risks of the new coronavirus pandemic. Days later, Yemen records its
first known case of COVID-19. Despite the cease-fire, the Houthis and the Saudi-led
coalition are accused of carrying out attacks. In the south, the STC once again
demands self-rule, breaking its agreement with the national government.

June-November 2020 – In June, the Southern Transitional Council deposes the

recognized government in Socotra, with government supporters decrying the move
as a coup d’état. The following month, the STC says it has renounced its claim to
self-rule and will return to the previously agreed-upon power-sharing structure.

In October, the warring sides in Yemen carry out the conflict’s largest prisoner swap.
By November, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have reportedly initiated back channel
talks, with Saudi officials indicating their willingness to sign a cease-fire deal and
end the Saudi air and sea blockade in exchange for the creation of a buffer zone
between Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen and the kingdom’s borders. The
Houthis later claim to have fired a missile at the coastal Saudi city of Jeddah.

December 2020 – The STC and the Hadi government formalize a new power-
sharing agreement in Aden. Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed is reappointed
as head of the Hadi government’s new cabinet, with seats going also to both the
STC and Yemen’s Islah Party. Just weeks later, as the new cabinet arrives in Aden
from Saudi Arabia, an attack on the airport kills at least two dozen people, but no
ministers. The Hadi government, the STC, and much of the international community
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blame the Houthis for the attack and Saudi warplanes conduct retaliatory raids on
Sanaa.

January 2021 – The Trump Administration uses the December attack to justify
designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The Houthis are
still able to consolidate control over 70-80 percent of the Yemeni population and
threaten Marib, a stronghold near the northeast corner of their control zone.

President Biden Takes a New Path

February 2021 – President Joe Biden announces changes to US policy toward
Yemen, including revoking the Houthi FTO designation, declaring an end to US
support for the Saudi-led coalition’s offensive operations in the conflict, appointing
Timothy Lenderking as a special envoy for Yemen, supporting the UN-led peace
process, and providing assurances to Saudi Arabia regarding the defense of its
territory.

This timeline was created with the assistance of ACW’s Congressional Affairs Intern Gabriella Haedelt,
and ACW’s Research and Analysis Intern Numan Aksoy. Photo credit: flickr/Rod Waddington