YEMEN

Yemen remains, in 2025, one of the world’s most unstable and dangerous countries, gripped by protracted civil war, explosive regional dynamics, and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

The conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) and the Saudi-led coalition-supported loyalist forces remains deadlocked. The United Arab Emirates, once a key player in the coalition, has withdrawn, creating a strategic and territorial vacuum.

Despite a fragile UN-brokered truce, sporadic fighting continues—especially in the south (Abyan, Shabwah, Lahij)—where Houthis regularly launch ground assaults and drone/missile strikes against adversaries and into Saudi territory.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the Houthis escalated operations in solidarity with Gaza:

Launching long-range missiles and kamikaze drones toward Israel,

Seizing ships in the Red Sea, including a Japanese vessel owned by an Israeli businessman,

Repeated threats to commercial navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, vital to global trade.

Yemen has thus become a battlefield for indirect confrontation between Iran and its allies, and Israel, the US, and regional partners.
The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic:

Nearly 70% of the population depends on humanitarian aid,

Over 17 million people suffer from food insecurity,

400,000 children are at risk of starvation.

Healthcare and clean water infrastructure is partially or entirely destroyed in several regions.

NGOs face immense logistical and political obstacles, and foreign missions operate under extreme risks: abductions, arbitrary checks, targeted attacks.

All of Yemen is classified as extremely high risk. Travel is strongly advised against except for humanitarian operations with armed escort and advanced security coordination.

The most dangerous areas include:
North-west (Sa’dah, Hajjah, Hodeidah),
South-east (Hadramout, Al-Mahrah),
Vicinity of Bab al-Mandeb Strait (increased maritime threat).

Risks include: terrorist attacks, airstrikes, drone assaults, ambushes, mines, and abductions.