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On Nov. 10, the Trump Administration announced that the US would stop refueling Saudi warplanes in the bombing of Yemen-a move that some US support for the Saudi project, in its fourth year, is waning. Three days later, the Saudis is supposed to be allowed to escape from the rebels. They are fighting, a condition of the U.K. As global concern over Yemen's fate, is progress finally being made towards peace?
Forgotten War
The war, launched in 2015 by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. On Oct. 15, the United States warned of a humanitarian catastrophe, with 13 million people at risk of starvation. Until recently, rising casualties and a cholera epidemic infecting 1.2 million people had failed to dent U.S. and U.K. military support for the Saudis. But with the public mood shifting, top officials from both countries are urging a cease-fire.
Wake-up Call
The tipping point may have come when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in his country's consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The killing led to heightened scrutiny of Saudi Arabia, including the Yemen conflict and the US's and UK's role in it . On Nov. 11, 30 form Obama Administration officials, wrote to Trump. "We did not intend to support the coalition to become a blank check," they said. "It is past time for America's role in this disastrous war in Yemen to end."
Way Forward
For now, Washington is still providing the Saudis with training and intelligence sharing. House Republicans blocked a Nov. 13 vote on U.S. military support for the war, making change is unlikely before Democrats gain control of the chamber in January. Hopes for a cease-fire hinge on U.N.-led peace talks, proposed for Sweden at the end of 2018-but on the ground at the port city of Hodeidah, a crucial channel for 80% of Yemen's food imports.
This appears in the November 26, 2018 issue of TIME.
