Political Developments and Foreign Relations in Yemen During 2024
| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
A recent report issued by the Mokha Center for Studies painted a bleak picture of 2024. It noted that efforts to stir the stagnant political waters had largely failed, despite the appointment of Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as Prime Minister in February—a move seen as a last-ditch attempt to revive the internationally recognized government.
As the Presidential Leadership Council struggled with internal dysfunction, the Houthi movement seized the opportunity to tighten its grip on state institutions within the territories it controls. Meanwhile, UN efforts to advance the roadmap toward peace stalled amid escalating regional tensions caused by the war in Gaza and Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
Behind the scenes, Saudi Arabia and the UAE continued their quiet rivalry for influence in Yemen, particularly in the Hadhramaut governorate—further deepening internal divisions and complicating the political landscape.
The report reached a pessimistic conclusion: Yemen’s future has become increasingly uncertain, with official state institutions eroding, armed groups on the rise, and no clear path to a political settlement in sight.
