Black Coffee Morning: Crisis in Yemen

The abrupt collapse of the Yemeni government, the Houthi rebels’ expansion of territorial control in Saada and the neighbouring Amran province and the increasing threat of the powerful and dangerous branch of al Qaeda, AQAP, pushed Yemen on the brink of one of its most severe crises in years. These recent developments prompted ECFR to host a Black Coffee Morning on 16 February 2015 in cooperation with the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient with representatives from the political, diplomatic and civil community to discuss the heated situation in Yemen and to search for solutions to contain the crisis that threatens to leave a worrying power vacuum in the country.

Adam Baron (Visiting Fellow, ECFR) and Marie-Christine Heinze (President, Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient) reflected on the expanding state of instability in Yemen. Thomas Schneider (Head of Department Middle East and Arabian Peninsula, German Ministry of Foreign Affairs) presented Germany’s engagement in the country and discussed Berlin’s approach of dealing with the political tensions in the region. Building on these expert inputs, participants deliberated on possible short- and long-term solutions to the crisis.

After the expert round-table, attendants of the event engaged in bilateral discussions on the current political turmoil in Yemen.

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