Yemen - 28 years of history on a Map

Aug 9, 2023

Yemen - 28 years of history on a Map

Let’s retrace on an animated map a summary of the history of Yemen and the various conflicts that have ravaged the country since its unification in 1990.
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/geohistory
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English translation \u0026 voiceover: Rahul Venkit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD1X…
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Original French version:    • Le Yémen - Résumé sur cartes
Russian version:    • Йемен - 29 лет истории на карте
Arabic version:    • اليمن - ملخص 28 سنة من تاريخ الجمهورية
Spanish version:    • El Yemen - Resumen de 30 años de hist…
Portuguese version (Brazil):    • Iêmen - História no Mapa
Japanese version:    • イエメンの歴史
German version:    • Der Jemen - 28 Jahre Geschichte auf e…
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Music: “Stand” - “Anno Domini Beats” (YouTube Library)
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Software used for editing: Adobe After Effects
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Chapter
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Context
00:56 Reunification
01:40 First difficulties
02:16 Insurrections
02:52 Arab Spring
03:26 Yemeni Civil War
04:00 International coalition
04:53 Bombardment
05:24 Humanitarian crisis
06:01 Dissensions
06:41 Current situation

#geohistory #history #yemen #saudiarabia #yemenicivilwar

Content

0.1 -> In just 28 years of existence, insurrections, conflicts, riots, terrorist attacks

6.06 -> and wars have weakened and divided this country which is the poorest in the Middle East.

11.36 -> Let’s retrace on a map, since its creation, the history of the Republic of Yemen.

21.84 -> We begin in 1988 when Yemen was divided in two.

26.06 -> In the south, there is People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, whose capital is Aden.

31.36 -> It is the only communist country in the Middle East, led by a single party and allied with the USSR.

37.969 -> Although the country is vast, it is mostly desert

40.863 -> and populated by approximately 2 and a half million inhabitants.

45.36 -> In the north, the Arab Republic of Yemen, with its capital Sanaa is an Islamic state.

50.98 -> The country has 7 million inhabitants and is more prosperous.

59.2 -> As the Cold War draws to a close, the USSR is weakened,

63.2 -> causing it to reduce financial aid to South Yemen.

66.759 -> This pushes the country closer to its neighbor, paving the way for reunification talks.

71.64 -> Two years later, in 1990, the Republic of Yemen is born.

76.47 -> The former president of North Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was already in power for 11 years,

81.909 -> took the reins of the new country.

84.53 -> While the former president of South Yemen, Ali Salem al-Beidh, became vice president.

90.039 -> Sana'a becomes its capital and the population is majority Muslim

94.167 -> with about 35 percent Zaidi Shiite and 65 percent Sunnis.

102.16 -> Soon after independence, the country takes a stand against intervention in Iraq during the Gulf War.

108.58 -> In response the West and Arab countries cut off its financial support.

112.82 -> Saudi Arabia meanwhile harasses the many Yemeni workers on its territory.

118.01 -> With the country in financial difficulty, and seeing no improvement,

121.7 -> Vice President al-Beidh leads the charge to regain independence for South Yemen.

127.28 -> After a short civil war, the north prevails

129.66 -> and the post of vice president is given to the Minister of Defense Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

139.44 -> In 1997, a jihadist insurgency begins with al Qaeda in Yemen

144.28 -> that takes aim at loyalist forces and the United States.

148.16 -> The government launches a fight against the terrorist organization.

151.7 -> In 2004, Zaidi Shia tribes in the north complain of being marginalized and begin a new insurrection.

159.19 -> The rebels call themselves Houthis, which is the name of their leader killed the same year by the army.

165.18 -> The group is ideologically anti-American, anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist.

174.4 -> In the south, there is continued frustration caused by Yemen’s reunification.

179.28 -> In 2007, enters the "Southern Movement," a separatist political group,

184.18 -> which participates in the Yemeni revolution in 2011.

188.26 -> Encouraged by the Arab Spring, people take to the streets to demand an end to corruption,

193.26 -> a healthier economy and lower unemployment.

196.2 -> Saleh tries to cling to power but is eventually replaced by his vice president Hadi

201.18 -> who initiates discussions exploring a more democratic restructuring of government.

209.76 -> Two years later, the proposed reforms are weak and the Houthis feel resentful,

214.2 -> having inherited no political power in their region.

217.46 -> They take up arms and begin the Yemeni civil war,

220.48 -> this time with the support of part of the population

223.74 -> and forces loyal to former President Saleh who tried to return to power.

228.68 -> Together, they conquer Sanaa, forcing Hadi to flee to Aden and then to Saudi Arabia.

234.96 -> The Gulf Cooperation Council condemns what it called a coup.

242.56 -> Against the backdrop of the regional conflict, Saudi Arabia accuses Iran, predominantly Shiite,

248.36 -> of militarily supporting the Houthi rebellion.

251.62 -> In addition, the country does not want to see the Bab El Mandeb Strait,

255.56 -> the 4th most important global sea crossing point for oil, in rebel hands.

260.62 -> Saudi Arabia then sets up an international coalition of 9 predominantly Sunni Muslim countries

266.3 -> to restore Hadi to power.

268.72 -> They receive support in logistics and intelligence from the United States.

273.14 -> The coalition begins by bombarding strategic installations,

276.777 -> while the UN imposes an embargo against the sale of arms to the Houthis and their allies.

282.91 -> In July, the coalition takes over Aden, where Hadi and his government move.

287.71 -> The focus of the coalition advance shifts to the gates of Taiz.

295.76 -> Although the coalition is better equipped,

297.92 -> its lack of experience in the field regularly results in defeat and prevents it from gaining the upper hand.

304.56 -> When coalition military advancements dry up, they step up aerial bombardment.

309.57 -> Civilian populations very often become victims and get stuck in the crossfire.

314.04 -> In October, Haydan Hospital is bombed.

317.2 -> The UN condemns the strikes, and calls for talks to negotiate a peace treaty which would not succeed.

327.02 -> In addition to air strikes,

328.74 -> the coalition imposes an embargo on ports and airports controlled by the Houthis.

333.94 -> Only aid shipments are allowed, which prove insufficient for the population suffering a humanitarian crisis.

340.06 -> As a result, more than 2 million people are internally displaced in Yemen.

345.02 -> At the end of 2016 begins a cholera epidemic

348.28 -> that infects up to 1 million people and leaves more than 2,200 dead.

353.6 -> The UN estimated that 7 million Yemenis, or a quarter of the country, were close to starvation.

363.42 -> In Sanaa, Saleh broke his alliance with the Houthis to try a diplomatic approach with Saudi Arabia.

369.77 -> In retaliation, he was killed a few days later by the Houthis.

374.07 -> In Aden, Hadi has a hard time projecting authority and uniting the locals.

379.32 -> The Southern Movement creates the Transitional Council,

382.253 -> a secessionist organization that quickly takes control of the city and the presidential palace.

387.94 -> The group receives support from the United Arab Emirates, which distances itself from the coalition.

393.19 -> The Emirati let up on their fight against the Houthis to focus on Al Qaeda

396.08 -> and to peddle their influence on the Yemeni island of Socotra, on which they set their sights.

404.86 -> In retaliation of ballistic missiles fired at Saudi Arabia,

408.46 -> the coalition further intensifies airstrikes, especially in the north.

413.28 -> Forces loyal to Hadi attempt to retake Hodeida's strategic port

417.16 -> in order to cut off Houthis’ access to the sea.

420.9 -> In Aden, the Southern Transitional Council strengthens with Emirati support,

425.26 -> who had to leave the island of Socotra after an intervention by Saudi Arabia.

430.39 -> In the east of Yemen, after many drone attacks by the United States,

434.17 -> Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula takes advantage of the chaos in the country

438.64 -> and strengthens its grip on power.

441.24 -> Other terrorist groups emerge into the fray, including the Islamic State.

446.28 -> The country is completely divided and it is the Yemeni population that pays the ultimate price

451.24 -> with more than 10,000 dead in 4 years.

454.35 -> According to the UN, the blockade imposed on the country

457.54 -> has caused the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet.

461.54 -> All this, while the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates increases,

466.38 -> resulting in big profits mainly for the United States, Great Britain and France.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Am70v8y5A