The Yemen conflict has deteriorated since 2015 despite repeated rounds of peace
negotiations. The most recent round of UN-led Talks ended in August 2016 with no
agreement. The conflict is in danger of escalating beyond Yemen’s borders with
frequent Houthi incursions into Saudi Arabia, foreign ships being targeted by missiles
from Houthi-controlled areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – a major international
trade route – and Saudi Arabia and Iran siding with opposite sides in the conflict. The
latest 72-hour cease-fire starting 20 October was not renewed when it ended on
22 October. The cease-fire did, however, allow humanitarian aid agencies to step in to
start to provide assistance to some of the 21.2 million people across the country who
are in need of humanitarian aid. UN OCHA has estimated it needs USD 1.63 billion for
its Yemen humanitarian response plan, but it has only received pledges for 47 % of that
amount so far. The EU has recently announced a further EUR 40 million for the fund,
taking the total EU pledge to EUR 120 million. The European Parliament has called for
an EU arms embargo on Saudi Arabia, which is responsible for the majority of the
destruction of civilian infrastructure.