This blog stems from a fascination with an under-reported, under developed country. Yemen was historically known as the birthplace of the Queen of Sheba, called Arabia Felix by the Romans because of its fertile land and links to the spice trade, a country with a long history and great wealth. This is no longer the case. Yemen today is in a state of transition. After 33 years of the rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh, people here have glimpsed an opportunity for change, and it is sorely needed.
Yemen faces chronic food and water insecurity, alongside a host of other problems. The government in Sana’a struggles against Houthi rebels to the west of the country, and separatists to the south. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is based in Yemen. This active branch of Al Qaeda is intent on destabilising this fragile state. These fractures take place in a country where there are 55 guns per hundred people, and where tribal conflicts gravely impede the progress of the State.
If you have heard of Yemen, it will be for one of two reasons: Al Qaeda or women’s rights. Yemen has an abysmal record when it comes to women’s rights. In the rural district of Hadhramaut, girls as young as 8 years old are married off to distant relatives. This is partly because there is no legal minimum age for marriage. Child marriage in Yemen became international news with the divorce of 10 year old Najood Ali, and tragicaly, when 13 year old Elham Assi died from internal bleeding after being raped by her husband. This is located in a country where women are not allowed leave the house without their husband’s consent, and where levels of women’s illiteracy and maternal death are among the worst in the world.
Here in this blog, I will aim to discuss aspects of this country that capture my interest and inflame my indignation. I hope it will be as enjoyable to read, as I know it will be to write.
Road from Revolution 