Clashes raise fears of power vacuum in vulnerable Yemen

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• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  The ongoing conflict in Yemen intensified today. The country's been a stronghold for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, one of the most active and dangerous branches of the Islamic terror network.

  Today, violence rocked the country. Gunfire and explosions erupted in Yemen's capital city, Sanaa, as government and Shiite rebels battled near the presidential palace. Streets emptied and the heavily armed rebels, known as Houthis, seized control of state-run media. The Houthis have been in a tense standoff with government forces since taking over much of Sanaa last September.

  Since then, the U.S.-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has seen its influence severely weakened. The Shiite rebels have now carved out large swathes of Northern Yemen and extended their reach westward. They have vowed to wipe out the Sunni forces of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which holds sway in much of Central Yemen.

  AQAP has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks in the West, including the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris.

  For more on what drives this violence and Yemen's links to global terror, I'm joined by Abdulwahab Alkebsi of the Center for International Private Enterprise. It's an affiliate of the National Endowment for Democracy. He was born in Yemen and he regularly visits the region.

  And we welcome you to the program.

  So there's been instability in Yemen for a long time, as we know. What is different? What's significant about today's events?

  ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI, Center for International Private Enterprise: Today's events are very significant.

  And it didn't start actually today, Judy. That started on Saturday, when the Houthi rebels arrested the president's chief of staff and then they took him to Saba in the north. And there was negotiation — there were negotiations between the president and the Houthis for his release.

  Suddenly, today, they go to the presidential palace, surround it and a battle broke out. Fortunately, there has been a cease-fire since about 4:30 p.m. local time and there have been calls for a meeting tomorrow for the president, the government, the Houthis and the two houses of parliament to try to find a solution moving forward.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  So, we saw — we showed on a map a little bit about who controls what parts of the country. But help us understand more about who these different groups are in Yemen.

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  There are many different groups.

  And to show the conflict today as the government against Shia rebels from the north, I think, is oversimplifying. Just to explain that, the battle today in Sanaa had put multiple forces. The Houthis, on one hand, they have a core group of Shia Zaidis. Unlike the Iranians, unlike the Lebanese Shia, they are completely different Shia group.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  They're Shia, but…

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  They're Shia, but Zaidis, which is a completely different group.

  And then today's battle was between them and the presidential guards, those responsible to protect the president's palace. The Republican Guards were also a part of that. These are forces that are still loyal to the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

  Within all of this, the regular army, the military stayed aside and they didn't even fight the war. So it's much, much more complex to say it's Shia against Sunni. And also forming it as Shia and Sunni makes it even worse. It is not that simple.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  So, of course, what we hear in the United States about when we hear about Yemen, we think of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP.

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  Of course. Of course.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  How is AQAP affected by what's going on and what could happen in Sanaa and elsewhere?

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  Well, terrific question, Judy.

  In the one hand, the Houthis are facing al-Qaida, and whenever they have faced them, they have defeated them, whether it's north of Sanaa, whether it's in the south, whether it's in al-Jawf.

  And that right now, the Houthis seem to be gearing up for a strong battle between them and the AQAP east of Sanaa in Marib. Now…

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  At the same time, they're fighting the regime?

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  Exactly. Exactly.

  Now, in Sanaa, they're also — so, while they're fighting this front against al Qaeda, they're also fighting inside Sanaa. Now, at first sight, you say, wow, they're defeating al-Qaida, they're doing something good for us, right? They're defeating them. And so al-Qaida is getting weaker because of that.

  But, on the other hand, when we make this battle between them as one between Shia and Sunni, it creates such a recruitment cry for al-Qaida for the Sunni fanatics to join them, those even who are not fanatics who want to protect Sunnis. And they become recruitment fodder for al-Qaida to fight.

  So, it's — again, at one hand, they seem to be allies with us fighting al-Qaida, but at the same time, al-Qaida is benefiting from this to recruit more and more supporters for them.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  So, for the United States — is the United States rooting for one side or another? The U.S. of course has been backing the current president.

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  Yes.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  But he seems to be in a very difficult position.

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  He is. He's in an extremely difficult position. I don't envy him at all.

  And at the same time, the United States policy in Yemen, on the one hand, it's from the security prism, as it should be. The reason we're in Yemen is because of the threat of al-Qaida, which has shown that it can hit in the United States. It has shown that it can hit in Paris in the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

  It's the main enemy. But the United States' policy in the region also includes political support for the political process moving forward. The United States is the biggest supporter of the political process. And without that, the security situation will not be better.

  What is missing, in my opinion, is the economic support, the economic growth, creating the jobs for the Yemenis, so they don't become, again, recruitment fodder for one side or the other. Most of these people are angry young men who have no jobs, who have no future, and they need that and they find friendship and family within either the Houthis or al-Qaida. We need more jobs in Yemen. And that's the only way it will stop.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  I know that's a theme we're hearing across the region.

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  Let's hope so.

• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  Well, we thank you very much, Abdulwahab Alkebsi. We appreciate it.

• ABDULWAHAB ALKEBSI:

  It's my pleasure. Thank you.