Non-State Armed Groups Delegation

The Non-State Armed Groups delegation consists of Houthi leaders as well as representatives from various militias, including Hiraak. The Houthis began as a movement seeking to revive Zaydism, a Shiite sect, and are primarily active in northern Yemen along the border with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis first started opposing former President Saleh around 2001, when he publicly aligned himself with the US. In 2004, the Houthis took up arms against the government and, despite the government’s intermittent efforts to eliminate the rebellion, now largely control portions of the north, including throughout the Sa’ada and Amram governorates, which are now replete with checkpoints. In 2009, fighting between the Houthis and the government intensified, and the Saudi air force intervened on behalf of the Yemen government, bombing Houthi regions near the border. The Houthis and the government signed a ceasefire in 2010. Sporadic clashes have continued, but the Houthis nonetheless maintain their stronghold in the north

Click here to read the Non-State Armed Groups Delegation Briefing Paper.