The Yemeni Civil War is a war between several factions in the Yemeni peninsula over control for territory and/or government. The main parties in this conflict are the Government of Yemen, which is currently controlled by "the Supreme Revolutionary Committee" - a coalition of Ansaruallah forces (or Houthis), local clan-based forces and forces of Ali Abdullah Saleh (who was president of Yemen until 2012), with alleged support from Iran, and the forces of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who was the Yemeni president from 2012 to 2014 when he was ousted by the Houthi coalition. Hadi's forces controls the southern port city Aden and the southwestern, eastern and central parts of Yemen.

A coalition of gulf states, headed by Saudi Arabia and supported by the US, UK, France and Turkey among others, invaded Yemen in spring 2015 with the goal to reinstate Hadi’s government, a development which has further strained the tense relation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who support the claims of the Houthis. The Saudi coalition have carried out air raids against Sana'a and Houthi (Government) positions.

Another party is Al Quaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) which was established in 2009 and controls large swaths of territory in the south and central countryside. AQAP:s war with the Yemeni Government escalated in 2010-2013 when the group expanded their territory. USA have been actively involved in the war and alledgedly attacked AQAP targets with drones. The Islamic State (IS) established itself in the country in 2015 where it has launched operations and been involved in the fighting.

Several ceasefire agreements between the Government and Hadi's forces have been negotiated but have broken down within days. The war has weighed heavily on the civilian population and UN has expressed concern for the humanitarian situation in the country. NGO:s such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused both sides of committing war crimes.

Sources: UCDP, 2016-07-08 Wikipedia, 2016-07-08