21/01/2015
The UN Security Council
is being briefed in an emergency session on what appears to be an ongoing coup attempt in the capital city of Yemen.
Sanaa, we are told, has descended into chaos since violent clashes broke out on Monday, with armed rebels reportedly shelling the home of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. These are
Shiite Houthi rebels, possibly financed by Iran.
Yemeni army commanders have told reporters that the rebels have already breached the presidential palace in Sanaa, where Mr Hadi's offices are located, and raided it for munitions. Smoke and flames has been seen rising during heavy clashes between presidential guards and the rebels.
Why this matters more than most is that Yemen, with its 23 million population, is a
major host for refugees from the Horn of Africa. Early
estimates had 82,000 people reaching Yemen's shores in 2014, up from 65,000 in 2013. Currently, UNHCR
is saying that the number has risen to "at least 91,592".
There is a tendency in the UK (and Europe generally) to forget that refugees are a worldwide problem, and that other countries are taking the load as well as us. But to have the possibility of the Yemen becoming a generator of refugees, instead of a receiver, is one we can do without.
Particularly in 2014, the year ended with more people dying trying to cross the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden than ever before, making it the deadliest year in recent memory. A flood of new refugees can only make that problem worse, especially if the flow turns north and heads for the Mediterranean.
And, apart from the
political consequences, what happens this year in the Mediterranean will land on our doorstep the year after. In an unstable region, even more instability can do nothing but harm.
