Yemen

The Yemeni novelist and computer science professor speaks to Al Majalla about science, uncertainty, and the role of fiction in questioning inherited narratives of progress

The UAE backs southern Yemenis who want secession, while Saudi Arabia wants a unified Yemen. Egypt also favours unity, but is close to both Gulf states, putting it in a difficult position.

Overcoming Yemen's fragmentation requires more support for the Riyadh-led path—one that rejects secession, all militias and institutionalises the state

Yemen's secessionist leader flees to the UAE via Somaliland after crossing Saudi red lines and fracturing the anti-Houthi alliance

No single party in Yemen can impose dominance over the other through military force, nor can any side achieve dominance solely by relying on external actors

For decades, two separate states - North and South Yemen - existed side-by-side, until the Cold War ended. Suddenly, the two came together. For a brief moment, united Yemen prospered.

The rejection of peace initiatives, the clampdown on civil society, and the forced disappearance of humanitarian workers have contributed to growing fatigue among Yemenis under their control

Apart from its ongoing genocide in Gaza, Israel has, this week, attacked Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia and, most shockingly, Qatar—a staunch US ally. But in Yemen, it's been especially brutal.

Amid growing fears that the Middle East and the world are forgetting about a long-running war in the splintered country, a particular solution is gaining steam as popular protests break out