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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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(24 July 2013). North Korea. 27/11/16, de Sanctions Wiki Sitio web:

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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:

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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