News - Yemen: As Biden looks to make peace with the Saudis, critics fear the consequences for Yemen could be disastrous, according to the American magazine Politico. 

It explained that the United States has been intimately associated with Yemen’s war since its inception. Saudi Arabia announced the beginning of its 2015 military operation against Yemen from Washington, and President Barack Obama’s administration expedited arms sales to the kingdom and increased logistical and intelligence support to aid the bombing campaign. 

“Some Obama officials conceded that they knew the Saudi-led campaign would be a humanitarian and strategic disaster, but justified U.S. support as the price to pay to patch up strained ties with Riyadh,” it said.

Describing the crisis witnessed by Yemenis in the UAE-Saudi occupied southern governorates, it said that Yemenis mostly expressed their hopes for improvements to their day to day lives: the removal of checkpoints that harass families, the return of basic services like electricity and clean water, and an increase in stable, well-paying jobs.

In the same breath, however, many also expressed cynicism about whether the current political order can achieve even those modest goals. They described their leaders as too corrupt, too dependent on foreigners, and too addicted to profiteering off the war to deliver even incremental progress.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have presided over Aden’s collapse into chaos and poverty. Saudi- and UAE-backed militias have come to blows in years past, and an ongoing rivalry has led to factional infighting and paralysis within the government. 

The magazine also revealed that the economic crisis caused by the Saudi-backed government has worsened the situation in its areas, as Aden’s leaders created runaway inflation by printing massive amounts of Yemeni rials. 

The central bank governor responsible for further impoverishing the world’s poorest country was paid $40,000 per month — one of the highest salaries in the world for that position.