Published August 22, 2012 By Natalie Manning Briefing CCPPR12YE Report available in PDF and Flash formats

After spending most of its history split between the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire, Yemen gained independence in 1967, six years after declaring itself a Republic. However, the country remained divided and began a long period of war and tension starting in the 1970s. The United States and the Soviet Union supported the South and North respectively in the violent civil war, until Yemen signed an accord and reunified in 1990. In 2006, Yemen held its first election since unification, in which the opposition was able to challenge the incumbent for the first time. However, elections at the gubernatorial level continue to be marred by irregularities.

Despite some gains made after the 2011 revolution, such as a successful transition of government, new President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi faces many challenges. Ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh still yields considerable power in the country, and President Hadi has been unable to purge many of Saleh’s loyalists who hold top positions in the government and military. The South remains unsettled due to the presence of a militant insurgency. In addition, the extreme terrain in Yemen makes it the ideal haven for rebels and al-Qaeda militants, with several terrorist bomb attacks occurring in Yemen in early 2012. Many Yemeni are still very poor, there is a high illiteracy rate and rampant government corruption.

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