By J. J. Messner & Kendall Lawrence
24 June 2013
Yemen
Yemen’s FSI score has been steadily getting worse since 2007 with 2012 representing its poorest showing on the Index so far.
In the shadow of the Arab spring, protests in Yemen over massive human rights violations including arbitrary detention, attacks on free speech, and the use of child soldiers, caused President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down at the end of 2011. This raised hopes for stabilization and democratization in the highly factionalized country.
The transitional government that succeeded him faced many challenges and was confronted by the wide-ranging abuses Saleh’s regime perpetuated as well as addressing the conflict between the North and South, neither of which the state was adequately prepared to address.
Adding to the challenges facing Yemen, the U.S. continued to conduct the highly controversial campaign of covert piloted and drone attacks on alleged al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants in Yemen. U.S.-conducted operations increased during 2012 — hugely unpopular in Yemen. The drone strikes further underscored the belief on the part of many Yemenis that the government was complicit in attacking its own citizens.
As the number of IDPs doubled in 2012 to nearly a half million, reports indicated that a record 10 million people lacked sufficient food, half the population did not have access to clean water, and reductions in access to health care have led to increased outbreaks of disease.
To access the Failed States Index 2013: The Troubled Ten, please follow the hyperlink.