Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Yemenis divided on Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia

Yemenis divided on Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia

Yemen will be on the agenda during the US president’s visit to Jeddah, but Yemeni politicians are not invited.

With a country so divided by war, it is perhaps not surprising that the Yemeni reaction to United States President Joe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, an active participant in the war in Yemen, is not monolithic.

Biden assumed power in January last year, and in his first foreign policy speech emphasised that the conflict in Yemen had to end. He declared that US offensive support for Saudi military operations in Yemen would stop, appearing to shift the US’s position on the Saudi role in the country, after years of support under former President Donald Trump.

The Saudi-led coalition has backed the internationally recognised Yemeni government militarily since March 2015 in its war against the Iran-allied Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa.

Although critics still say that the US is actively supporting the Saudi-led coalition, a truce has largely held in Yemen since April, with no Saudi air attacks reported.

Ezaddin Mahdi, a 23-year-old university student in Sanaa, told Al Jazeera that he was hopeful about the outcomes of Biden’s Saudi trip.

“The end of the war in Yemen requires a resolute American decision,” Mahdi said. “When Washington decides to stop the conflict, it can do that.”

Mahdi attributed his faith in Washington’s role to the US’s leverage in the Middle East.

“I think the US has the military, economic and political power to end the war in Yemen,” Mahdi said. “Saudi Arabia would not opt for fighting without the go-ahead from the US. As for the Houthis in Yemen, the US can use different sanctions to bring them to reason. If sanctions cannot work, decisive military action may follow. This is how the US can stop the war in Yemen if it wants.”


‘No long-term benefit’


Many in Yemen, where the Houthis and their supporters regularly attack the US at mass protests, disagree.

Ammar Saleh, a 32-year-old teacher in Sanaa, argues that Biden’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia has frustrated human rights defenders in Yemen and beyond, who were hoping for more accountability.

“This trip will enhance the Saudi leadership’s morale and may encourage them to continue their violent military involvement in Yemen. Accordingly, I do not see any long-term benefit for Yemen from Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia,” Saleh said.

The war in Yemen has now continued through three separate US presidencies, and continues to cause untold suffering in the country, which the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Human rights organisations have criticised the Saudi Arabian role in that crisis, and the death of civilians in air attacks, but Riyadh insists that its presence in Yemen is in support of the country’s legitimate government, and to stop Iranian expansion on its southern border.

The continuation of the war has made many Yemenis pessimistic about Biden’s chances of bringing peace.

“No power can end this dilemma overnight after seven years of bloodshed and fragmentation. Neither Biden nor [Mohammed] bin Salman can establish peace here. It will take time to remedy what the war has destroyed,” Fawaz Ahmed, a 35-year-old from Aden, told Al Jazeera.

He added, “The conflict has ruined the social fabric in Yemen, spread hatred among different factions and deepened the foreign intervention. Therefore, I would be naive if I say Biden’s Saudi trip will repair these internal problems in Yemen.”


Biden’s focus on the economy


Biden’s visit to the kingdom was motivated by regional and international developments: the rising military power of Iran and its allies in the region and the Russia-Ukraine war, Khalil Muthana al-Omari, a Yemeni political analyst and editor-in-chief of Raialyemen news website, told Al Jazeera.

“The purpose of Biden’s Saudi tour is related to the economy,” Omari said. “It is about pushing Abu Dhabi and Riyadh to increase oil production to reduce dependence on Russian oil. Moreover, the trip intends to strengthen Washington’s position in the region, given China’s mounting military and economic threats.”

Despite Biden’s previous focus on Yemen, the new head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, has not been invited to Saturday’s GCC+3 summit in Jeddah, which the US president will attend.

Al-Omari is doubtful that Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia will lay the groundwork for lasting peace in Yemen but says it may help prolong the continuing truce.

“The Yemeni UN-recognised leadership was not invited to the summit,” said al-Omari. “This is a negative sign and suggests that the Yemen war is a marginal issue on the agenda of Biden’s tour.”


Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
×