Muslim Brotherhood and the domination of Yemen

Maher Farghali

Islah, the party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Yemen, has apparently succeeded in convincing Saudi Arabia that it can defeat the pro-Iran Houthis.

This comes after the United Arab Emirates succeeded in sabotaging an attack by pro-Brotherhood militias in the city of Aden.

The party has been controlling the government of Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi for several years now. It succeeded in controlling a number of cities in southern Yemen. It also opened a new bank, started giving Turkey access into Yemen and enabled its members to occupy important positions in state institutions.

According to analysts, Islah also controls decision-making inside the legitimate government of Yemen.

This can explain the statements made by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in which he said his country would not allow Islah and warlords to exhaust the economy of the Gulf region.

Meanwhile, Spokesman of the Transitional Southern Council, Saleh al-Noud, said the only way for the legitimate government of Yemen to solve its problems was for all the members of Islah Party to get out of this government.

Houthi allies

Islah, observers say hampers the formation of a united front against the Houthis. They add that the Brotherhood’s party also obstructs the work of the Saudi-led alliance and defames it by showing that it has failed to achieve positive results on the ground.

The party also continually tries to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the observers said.

When t Houthis staged their coup against Hadi in 2015, sites controlled by Islah were handed over to the Houthis very easily and without fighting, especially in the northern Yemeni province of Amran.

Despite the military capabilities it possesses, the party did not move to prevent the late Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh from hammering out an alliance with the Houthis.

According to the Emirati news portal, al-Ain, in 2015, Islah members fight side by side with the Houthis. Yemeni political analyst and researcher Noman al-Mesfari says the Brotherhood has turned into a cancer in Yemen that aims only to consume the Saudi-led alliance.

Islah raised many question marks by its actions in the past years. The party sometimes declares support to the Saudi-led alliance. Other times, it cooperates with the Houthis.

Yemeni army sources revealed in 2017 the presence of the remains of Islah Party members side by side with the remains of Houthi fighters in battlefields.

Playing all parties

Islah played Hadi because it believes that a military victory in Yemen by the Saudi-led alliance would reduce its political gains. The party pushes for a political solution to the crisis because a political solution will naturally include them, whereas a military settlement of the conflict will exclude them.

Islah backed Operation Decisive Storm because it would bring them back to the political scene in Yemen.

In a statement, the party said defeating the Houthis would change the balance of power in Syria and Iraq.

Saudi position

The Brotherhood’s relations with Saudi Arabia worsened following 2011. Islah Party leaders tried to meet Saudi officials several times, including in 2014, but failed. The two sides communicated with each other only after sana’a fell down in the hands of the Houthis.

Following the downfall of Amran, the Brotherhood staged a protest, in which they raised the flags of Saudi Arabia and banners on which they thanked the kingdom for providing Yemen with petroleum products.

Hadi came to the political surface in Yemen after the 2011 uprising against Saleh, even as he did not have the political prowess enjoyed by the ousted Yemeni president.

When the Saudi-led coalition started attacking Houthi positions, Islah Party only issued a statement in which it declared support of the coalition.

Then suddenly, Islah started making conspiracies that only aimed to divide Yemen. He collaborated with al-Qaeda. Documents found by Arab coalition troops in Shabwah city showed the presence of coordination between Islah and al-Qaeda.