Fighting continued to rage over the weekend in northern Yemen’s Maarib, where the Houthis are trying to contest the last government-held stronghold in the country’s entire north. The government is once again reporting that they’ve pushed back Houthi reinforcements.
In this case, the government reported artillery shelling of Houthi vehicles, destroying several and killing an estimated 40 fighters. This sets the Houthis back, after they seized high ground near the target last week.
When the Saudis invaded Yemen six years ago to back what was left of the Aden-based government, they tried to advance on the capital of Sanaa through Taiz. When that failed, they tried a more round-about way into Maarib. That’s stalled too. Now, with increased acceptance that there is no military victory to be had, the Houthis are looking to secure Maarib and put the stalemate into a more obvious geographic shape.
If Maarib falls, the Houthis and government are split almost perfectly along pre-1990 lines between North and South Yemen, and that might be the basis on which to start peace talks.
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