Yemen, the poorest country in the Persian Gulf and indeed the whole of the Middle East, has long been the most neglected. Poor and neglected by the international community, it could not stand in starker contrast with its glitzy neighbours. Over the past two years it hit headlines for the most tragic of reasons. For many months now, the situation in Yemen has been described by the UN as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Whereas the country was poor before the war — mostly due to corruption, civil war and economic mismanagement — the civil war has further depleted the country of basic life-sustaining resources and plunged Yemen into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The country remains in the grip of a war that is becoming increasingly complex. Essentially between the Houthis and the government forces, the war has now been joined by the Saudi-led coalition, which is backed by the US, UK and France, and a number of Gulf countries. In opposition to the coalition, Iran has be...

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