Yesterday brought another sombre reminder of the sacrifices members of this country’s armed forces continue to make in the effort to secure stability in the region. First Lieutenant Abdul Aziz Sarhan Saleh Al Ka’abi, who was part of Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, died “performing his national duty”, according to the state news agency Wam. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.
News of his death arrived shortly after loyalist forces had regained control of Aden's port, consolidating their success a day earlier in wresting the city's airport from the Houthi-led rebels. One hopes the tide is turning towards the rule of law in this strife-torn country. Certainly there is grounds for cautious optimism. Indeed, as the UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed commented on Twitter, there were "signs of victory in Yemen".
There will, nevertheless, be a long and difficult path ahead before the legitimate government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi is reinstated and peace can prevail.
This is in the interests of the overwhelming majority of Yemenis, whose future has been hijacked by minority rebel groups comprised of the Iran-backed Houthis and forces still loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Many factors will determine just how long this process might take. One is whether the nuclear deal negotiated with Iran this week will see the Islamic Republic playing a less tendentious role in the region. Some fear the estimated $150 billion of frozen funds returned to Tehran’s coffers will lead it to increase its meddling in countries like Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. It depends too on whether the destabilising campaign by Mr Saleh to regain his former title can be brought to an end, but that is what the majority of Yemenis seek.
