Conflict and Peace

The recent battle that erupted in Al-Baydah, centre of Yemen, has simmered like its counterpart in Marib. Groups and formations fighting the Houthis on the battlefront failed to garner sufficient support to withhold the recent gains by the legitimate government of Yemen allowing the Houthis to recapture some of the areas lost by them in the past few weeks. 

The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, arrived in Moscow today (20 July) on the invitation of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. This is Aliyev’s second working visit to Russia this year – the first, on 11 January with the Armenian prime minister – and comes amidst clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The United States has expressed concern over reports of fighting in Ethiopia's northern province of Tigray. Addis Ababa has confirmed its readiness to respond to "rebel attacks" as Tigray fighters pushed back after 8 months of fighting in which the Ethiopian government declared its victory. 

China is rushing to build or increase security ties in Central Asia in the face of a Taliban advance following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan next month. However, some sources claim China is actually financing the Taliban, a report in the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta says.

In Russia, and in the former Soviet states of Central Asia, there is growing concern about the situation in Afghanistan. Russian media has been urging the authorities to prepare for a Taliban takeover after the US and NATO complete their withdrawal from the country, now scheduled for 31 August, speculating that this will trigger a full-scale power shift in the country within several months.

On Saturday (3 July), the Yemeni army and allied tribesmen launched a new offensive in Al-Bayda governorate to recapture the area from the Houthis. Several state and local media shows footage of armed vehicles rolling into the governorate for the first time since the war started. Reports suggest the Yemeni government succeeded in capturing some villages. 

The European Union has indicated it is re-enforcing its engagement with the South Caucasus, including on the thorny issues of conflict resolution. Dennis Sammut argues in this op-ed that this is timely and necessary. The region needs more EU, less Russia and prospects for a better quality of life for all its people. For this to happen the EU needs to be more strategic in its approach to the region and there is no longer place for hesitation and ambiguity, he argues.