The Yemen Conflictolinca.edu.mx/Olinmun/olinmun 2017/Backgrounds... · authoritarian president, Ali...
Transcript of The Yemen Conflictolinca.edu.mx/Olinmun/olinmun 2017/Backgrounds... · authoritarian president, Ali...
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The Yemen Conflict
SC
February 2017
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SC 2017 CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
II. OVERVIEW
A. COMMITTEE’S BACKGROUND
B. ACHIEVEMENTS
III DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF KOREA’S NUCLEAR TEST
A. BACKGROUND
B. INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION
IV. ANNEX I: LIST OF COUNTRIES
V. ANNEX II: INFORMATION ABOUT THE COUNTRIES
VI. ANNEX III: REFERENCES
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I. INTRODUCTION
Dear delegates of the Security Council,
During this debate you, as representatives of a country, will be dealing with a topic
of major importance: Nuclear Tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(North Korea). The debate will require from your set of skills such as diplomacy,
your power of analysis, your innovative ideas and above all, your willingness to
reach a viable resolution to the topic. We, as your staff, encourage you to use all
your abilities throughout the debate, being sure that your high standards and your
maturity during the discussion of these issues will enhance the outcome of our
committee.
Welcome to the Olinca Model United Nations (OLINMUN) 2017.
Yours sincerely,
Diego Mayén Bosch
Head of Committee of Security Council
Andrés Osorio Leal Fernanda Bolaños Arcaute
Chair of Security Council Moderator of Security Council
Katia Garduño Hernández
Deputy Chair of Security Council
Daniel Morales
Intelligence Advisor of Security Council
NOTE: We urge you to carefully read this piece, as it may be a very helpful tool and source of general information for your topic. We urge delegates to read the delegate handbook, as the committee will work following the rules that are mentioned and any delegation not following those rules will be sanctioned with a warning.
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II. OVERVIEW
The United Nations Security Council
worries about the violation of human
rights that is taking place in the
Republic of Yemen, hence, if the
nations do not do something to stop it
and come upon a resolution, it may
have catastrophic social and
international results in the future.
Therefore, the Security Council
calls upon all the nations to find a
solution that could control in short and
long terms the current conflict.
A) Committee’s Background:
The first session of the Security
Council was held on January 17th,
1946 at Church House, Westminster,
London. Since its first meeting, the
Security Council has taken permanent
residence at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York City.
The Security Council has primary
responsibility for the maintenance of
international peace and security. It
has 15 Members, and each Member
has one vote. All Member States are
obligated to comply with the Council
decisions. A representative of each of
its members must be present at all
times at UN Headquarters so that the
Security Council can meet at any time
as the need arises.
As aforementioned, the Council is
composed of 15 Members:
• Five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation,
the United Kingdom, and the United
States.
• Ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the
General Assembly (with end of term
date).
A State which is a Member of
the United Nations but not of the
Security Council may participate,
without a vote, in its discussions when
the Council considers that that
country's interests are affected. Both
Members and non-members of the
United Nations, if they are parties to a
dispute being considered by the
Council, may be invited to take part,
without a vote, in the Council's
discussions; the Council sets the
conditions for participation by a non-
member State.
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When a complaint concerning a
threat to peace is brought before it,
the Council’s first action is usually to
recommend the parties to try to reach
an agreement by peaceful means.
The Council may:
• Set forth principles for such an
agreement;
• Undertake investigation and
mediation, in some cases;
• Dispatch a mission;
• Appoint special envoys;
• Request the Secretary-General
to use his good offices to
achieve a pacific settlement of
the dispute.
When a dispute leads to hostilities,
the Council’s primary concern is to
bring them to an end as soon as
possible. In that case, the Council
may:
• Issue ceasefire directives that
can help prevent an escalation
of the conflict;
• Dispatch military observers or
a peacekeeping force to help
reduce tensions, separate
opposing forces and establish
a calm atmosphere in which
peaceful settlements may be
sought.
Beyond this, the Council may opt
for enforcement measures, including:
• Economic sanctions, arms
embargoes, financial penalties
and restrictions, and travel
bans;
• Severance of diplomatic
relations;
• Blockade;
• Collective military action.
A chief concern is to focus action
on those responsible for the policies
or practices condemned by the
international community, while
minimizing the impact of the
measures taken on other parts of the
population and economy.
B) Achievements
The Security Council has made
efforts to stop different political
disputes with terrible consequences
for the people, just like the Rwandan
Genocide, the Kurdistan disputes or
the Yugoslav War, and has always
seen for the sake of the population
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being affected as well as the
maintenance of security and global
peace.
Therefore, it urges all the parties
to create a solution having in mind
such necessities and priorities, in
order to bring peace, stability and
security to the Yemeni population and
the nations involved.
III. THE YEMEN CONFLICT A) Background:
Since its origins, Yemen has sought
through different problems. The
conflict began in 1969 when the
Marxists took power in the southern
region, renaming the country as
People's Democratic Republic of
Yemen and implementing new
reforms to reorient economy, society
and their foreign policy towards the
Soviet Bloc. Thousands of people
emigrated to the north to counter
attack the new communist regime in
the south. During these years there
was a struggle to find a stable
government, until 1978 when Ali
Abdallah Saleh became president of
North Yemen.
Since then the two Yemen
were in a constant fight to unite the
two states. Finally, in May 1990, both
territories unite as the Republic of
Yemen with Mr. Saleh as president.
Although there is still some rivalry
between the two sides, in 1994 Saleh
declares state of emergency and
dismisses other southern government
members following political deadlock
and sporadic fighting. In the same
year, the northern forces capture
Aden and southern leaders flee
abroad and are sentenced to death in
absentia.
In 2000 Yemen experienced
several terrorist attacks from the
terrorist group Al- Qaeda. As a
preventive measure, Yemen’s
government expelled more than 100
foreign Islamic clerics related to al-
Qaeda. Later on, Yemen faced a
series of terrorist attacks directed by
an alleged leader known as Hussein
al-Houthi, a rebel in the north.
In 2005, President Saleh
announced that al-Houthi agreed to
renounce the campaign in return for a
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pardon, still many minor ethnic
clashes continued.
Two years later there was a big
massacre, a big clash between
security forces and al-Houthi rebels.
In 2009, the Yemeni army launched
an offensive against Shia rebels in the
northern Saada province, where
thousands of people were injured and
killed.
Thereby, the actual conflict has its
roots in the failure of the political
transition that was supposed to bring
stability to Yemen following an
uprising that forced its longtime
authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah
Saleh, to hand over the power to Mr.
Hadi, his deputy, in November 2011.
Mr. Hadi struggled to deal with a
variety of problems, including the
continuous attacks by al-Qaeda, a
separatist movement in the south, the
continuing loyalty of many military
officers to Mr. Saleh, as well as
corruption, unemployment and food
insecurity.
The Houthi movement, which
champions Yemen's Zaidi Shia
Muslim minority and fought a series of
rebellions against Mr. Saleh during
the previous decade, took advantage
of the new president's weakness by
taking control of their northern
heartland of Saada province and
neighboring areas.
Disillusioned with the transition,
many ordinary Yemenis - including
Sunnis - supported the Houthis and in
September 2014 they entered the
capital, Sanaa, setting up street
camps and roadblocks.
In January 2015, the Houthis
reinforced their takeover of Sanaa,
surrounding the presidential palace
and other key points and effectively
placing Mr. Hadi and his cabinet
ministers under house arrest.
B) International Intervention:
The importance of this conflict for the
international community is vested,
firstly, in the warlike disputes between
different parties extending to neighbor
nations. For example, the Saudi
Arabia-led coalition that continues
bombing Yemen in an effort to stop
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the advance of an Iran-backed Shiite
militia there.
Secondly, the intervention of
western nations due to the fact that
there are different terrorist
organizations involved in the conflict,
such as AQAP (Al-Qaida in the
Arabian Peninsula).
Another important issue is that
the conflict has also been regarded as
a dispute between ethnical groups of
different countries trying to gain
control of Yemen, as the Shia-ruled
Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia.
And lastly, Yemen is a
strategically important point for the
global economy as it sits on the Bab
al-Mandab strait, a narrow waterway
linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of
Aden, through which much of the
world's oil shipments pass.
Therefore, the United Nations
Security Council has urged the parties
in Yemen to resume talks with the
already sent UN envoys as well as
intervened directly in the conflict.
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IV. ANNEX 1: LIST OF COUNTRIES: 1. China
2. Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (North Korea)
3. Egypt
4. France
5. Germany
6. Iran
7. Japan
8. Republic of Korea (South Korea)
9. Russian Federation
10. Saudi Arabia
11. Syria
12. Turkey
13. United Kingdom
14. United States of America
15. Yemen
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V. ANNEX II: INFORMATION ABOUT COUNTRIES
China: Saudi Arabia and China affirmed that the two countries support the unity,
independence and sovereignty of Yemen. This was said in a statement released by
China’s Foreign Ministry. It also established that all social, religious and political
groups in Yemen should maintain their national solidarity and avoid any decisions
that may cause social disruption and chaos. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said
China has always acted in the interests of the Yemeni people to maintain peace in
the Middle East. China urged all parties to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
France: France supported the resolution presented at the United Nations. France supports
the coalition’s initiative and is willing to encourage an internal political solution. As
well as the United States and United Kingdom, France is one of the countries that
provided logistical and intelligence support to the coalition. This country stated that
its aim is for the legitimate authority and stability to be restored as well as to find a
political solution without intervening militarily in the conflict.
Iraq: The Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the Saudi airstrikes made no sense and
urged world leaders to quickly forge a cease-fire in Yemen. He criticized Saudi
Arabia’s ongoing military operation in Yemen saying it had no logic and expressing
concern that it could help trigger a wider war. The Foreign Minister established the
Iraqi government’s opposition to the intervention at an Arab League summit on
March 2015.
Iran:
Houthis have been trained, armed and funded by Iran, this country is the principal
provider with military support. The Houthis and Iran share similar geopolitical
interests such as challenging Saudi Arabia and U.S. dominance of the region. Iran
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can be seen as the protector of the interests of Shiites, a minority in the Middle
East. Iranian military forces and their proxies predominate in Iraq and in Syria. The
Iranian government says it wants to defend all the underprivileged in order to go
beyond religious differences.
Russian Federation: Russia as well as China have opposed the air strikes and have called for a political
solution through negotiation. The Russian state media has covered Saudi Arabia´s
massacres of civilians in Yemen. Russia’s strategic interests are depicting Saudi
Arabia as a savage aggressor in Yemen; the Russian government has
strengthened its support to the Houthis’ cause. Russia abstained from the United
Nations’ resolution in 2015 calling for arms. Russian policymakers stated that
allowing the Houthis to remain in power is the best outcome for Yemen’s future
political stability, this desire for stability is also connected to its historical
experience.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia is the leader of the airstrikes against the Houthis. It leads an Arab
military coalition that includes five Gulf States, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan. On
March 25, 2015 Saudi Arabia launched the operation “Decisive Storm” in Yemen
against the Houthi rebel movement. The country stated that the operation’s goal is
to defeat the Houthis. Saudi Arabia began bombing Yemen last year in the capital
Sana’a with the objective of reinstating Hadi’s government. Saudi Arabia perceives
that Houthi control of Yemen means threatening its southern border.
United Kingdom: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced the support to the Saudi
decision to intervene militarily in Yemen. The UK once said that it would not
provide military support, however, it has supplied arms to Saudi Arabia to help
direct the coalition attacks as well as it has supported the regime.
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United States of America:
President Barack Obama made clear he had no intention to get involved in another
Middle East conflict, however, the United States gave logistical and intelligence
support, such as bombs, to the Saudi-led coalition. This country’s interest is to
maintain stability in Yemen, security for Saudi borders and a government in Sana’a
that cooperates with U.S. counterterrorism programs. United States is the largest
provider of arms to Saudi Arabia. The U.S got involved since the al-Qaida affiliate
in Yemen is considered extremely dangerous, so the country is concerned that
chaos in Yemen will strengthen al-Qaida there.
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VI. ANNEX III: REFERENCES
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Council Approves Nuclear Test Ban Resolution. 27/11/16, de The Wall Street
Journal Sitio web: http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-n-security-council-approves-
nuclear-test-ban-resolution-1474645025
Security Council Resolutions. 27/11/16, de United Nations Security Council
Sitio web: http://www.un.org/en/sc/documents/resolutions/
(27 May 2005). NPT Treaty. 27/11/16, de UN News Center Sitio web:
http://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2005/npttreaty.html
(18 May 2016). United Nations Security Council Resolution 1172. 27/11/16, de
Wikipedia Sitio web:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_117
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Security Council strongly condemns failed ballistic missile launch by DPR
Korea. 27/11/16, de UN News Center Sitio web:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55324#.WDs-VbQirFI
(17 Nov 2016). Foreign relations of North Korea. 27/11/16, de Wikipedia Sitio
web:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_North_Korea#Nuclear_progra
m
What is the Security Council?. 27/11/16, de United Nations Security Council
Sitio web: http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/
The Security Council. 27/11/16, de United Nations Security Council Sitio web:
http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/
(24 July 2013). North Korea. 27/11/16, de Sanctions Wiki Sitio web:
http://www.sanctionswiki.org/North_Korea
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Council Foreign Relations. (19 de April de 2016). Recuperado el 12 de
Diciembre de 2016, de Yemen in Crisis:
http://www.cfr.org/yemen/yemen-crisis/p36488
BBC News. (14 de October de 2016). Recuperado el 12 de Diciembre de 2016,
de Yemen crisis: Who is fighting whom?: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-
middle-east-29319423
Insight on Conflict. (11 de May de 2015). Recuperado el 12 de Decembre de
2016, de Yemeni conflict: politics, policy and people:
https://www.insightonconflict.org/es/blog/2015/05/yemeni-conflict-politics-policy-
people/
The World Bank. (01 de October de 2016). Recuperado el 12 de Diciembre de
2016, de Yemen Overview:
http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/overview