Press Release: US Arms in Hands of Militias

Tactics echoes the call of international human rights groups for an end to the arbitrary and reckless re-selling of arms to Yemeni militia groups. Amnesty International has labelled such groups: “unaccountable militias accused of war crimes”.

A recent report by CNN provided further evidence of the worrying trend of the UAE selling on its American-supplied weapons to militias.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are implicated in revelations of re-selling arms intended to be monitored government-to-government. The stories which lift the lid on the western role in the spiralling conflict in Yemen, which the UN has lebelled the world’s “worst humanitarian crisis”.

The flood of advanced western weaponry into Yemen has created a zero-sum game in which shifting alliances have made an outcome impossible to predict. In this climate, ISIS has re-emerged to carry out suicide bombings.

The US and other western powers must reassess their role in a conflict which, some estimates suggest, could see a death toll of a quarter of a million by 2020. Tactics Institute believes only a ceasefire and political solution will resolve the conflict. As well as regional powers seeking to gain advantage at the expense of the Yemeni population, we now see profit-driven mercenaries willing to undermine Yemen’s political system to pursue their goals. Yemen is a humanitarian disaster and all sides must call a halt to the bloody pursuit of narrow self-interest.

Tactics Institute for Security and Counter Terrorism is an independent, non-partisan, think tank. Tactics researches terrorism to identify its causes and best possible remedies, always bearing in mind the protection of individual liberties and the human rights of all those affected.

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For more information please contact Tactics Institute for Security and Counter Terrorism at info@tacticsinstitute.com

Press Release on Radicalisation in Yemen,

London 28th February 2019

Tactics Institute for Security & Counter Terrorism is alarmed at the growing phenomenon of individuals being radicalised in Yemen due to ongoing conflict and the absence of peaceful solution to the crisis.

The Institute urges Saudi Arabia and its allies to immediately halt their ongoing operations and look to secure a lasting peace deal as the country’s youth are increasingly becoming radicalised and entering the vicious circle of conflict on the side of Islamic Salfist groups such as Al Qaeda or Iranian-backed Houthi militias.

Over the past two decades, thousands of young men and women in Yemen have become radicalized under the influence of three powerful insurgent groups: the Shia al-Houthi Rebellion and the Sunni al-Qaeda and the Southern Secessionist Movement. Now, the ongoing Saudi-led war is increasing the flow of Yemenis into terrorist groups.

Tactics suggests the international community urgently liaise with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to end their supporting and arming of Islamist groups which are now involved in a “proxy war” for those two countries against the Houthis. Constructive dialogue and adherence to the United Nations resolutions must be the only options on table.

“Given the special nature of Yemen with its conservative way of living and complicated social system, war cannot be the solution and will only exacerbate the current appalling conditions and increase the scale of the conflict. The war seems to have turned sectarian, a situation that will prolong it further. The Arab coalition has put arms into the hands of very dangerous radical elements ” said Thomas Charles, Director of the Tactics Institute

Future Foreign Policy have stated that despite the relative spike in global oil prices between 2006 and 2014, over 45% of the Yemen’s 24 million residents continue to live on less than $2.00 per day. Furthermore, unemployment amongst Yemen’s able-bodied adult and youth populations has remained at around 35% and 65% respectively for nearly twenty years.

Poverty and famine are endemic in the Yemen and, with the current conflict, further radicalisation can be expected, which could expand across the Middle East.

Tactics Institute is currently preparing a report on Radicalisation in Yemen. The initial figures suggest that up to 60% of Yemeni youth are now allied with armed groups. The report, which will be published in late March, will include statistics and eye witness accounts.

For more information on the Tactics Institute for Security & Counter Terrorism visit https://tacticsinstitute.com/

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Press Release: Radicalisation in Yemen on the Rise