Yemen

Last updated: January 11, 2019

Yemen, reunified in 1990, is located in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south and the Red Sea to the west. The capital Sanaa is in the west. Its picturesque old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The second largest city, Aden, is an important port and former capital of the socialist South Yemen. In Yemen, it is estimated that around 28.7 million people live in an area around one and a half times larger than Germany. According to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, three quarters of them are affected by the humanitarian crisis in the country, which has persisted since the start of a joint military operation against armed insurgents by several Arab countries in March 2015.

Yemen is a member of the UN and the Arab League. He is also a member of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as other international organizations.

The country is formally a presidential republic in transition, headed by President Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi since 2012. He replaced long-time President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who did not run again in the course of the 2011 revolution, which can be seen in the broader context of the political upheavals in many Arab countries, and who ultimately fell victim to an attack in December 2017. The main goal of the international community is to resolve the crisis and civil war in Yemen. There is a transition plan of the Gulf Cooperation Council and, since December 2018, a fragile UN ceasefire for the important port city of Hudaida, which can no longer be approached by large ships because a large part of the infrastructure and cranes have been destroyed.

Machines, complete manufacturing plants, motor vehicles, chemical and electrotechnical products, iron and iron goods, printed products as well as food and groceries are the most important import goods. Germany exports mostly foodstuffs as well as machines and chemical products to Yemen. Around 80 percent of Yemenis are dependent on food imports in the ongoing crisis. However, the weak national currency makes them immensely expensive. The Federal Republic mainly imports raw materials and, to a lesser extent, machines and food from Yemen.