Earlier last week Al-Monitor published a report in which it exposed Yemen’ security lapse by revealing the trued extent of the country’ smuggling crisis. A nation interrupted, Yemen has had since 2011 to face a series of overlapping crises, spanning from political tensions to an aggravated economic outlook and a terror crisis. Battered economically, weakened politically and institutionally, the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula is but hanging by a thread.
Two years into its transition of power under the leadership of President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Yemen has become a haven for weapon smugglers, human traffickers and terrorists. With over 2,200 km of coastline, the country stands an open field to such unsavoury characters, lacking the structure and manpower to oppose such a rising tide of crimes.
Al-Monitor stressed in its report that, “Smuggling in Yemen is no longer limited to Yemenis or regional smugglers — non-Arab foreigners engage in it, too. In the last decade, smuggling has significantly risen along Yemen’s coast and across its borders.”
And indeed news of smuggled cargo, human trafficking activities and other crimes have become somewhat regular since 2011, underscoring the sheer extent of Yemen security deficit. Unable to contain the rising smuggling tide, security officials have long complained of a lack of political will in addressing the issue, stressing that state officials had allowed the situation to rapidly worsen by failing to allocate enough resources.
Yemen strategic geographical location has become a source of instability when it should have been its most valuable asset. And as noted by Al-Monitor, “Smuggling in an unstable country will make it more fragile and bring it closer to death, especially if weapons make up the biggest part of the goods.”