Who’s Who in the Fight for Yemen

[Updated on May 2, 2016]

A civil war has torn Yemen apart for the last year, triggered by a toxic political crisis between a weak national government and a rebel movement known as the Houthis, who in 2015 took over the capital of Sanaa and ousted the president.

Amid the escalating turmoil, a coalition of nations led by Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against the Houthis in March 2015, expanding the war into a regional conflict and deepening Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. More than 6,400 people — at least half of them civilians — have already been killed, with the United Nations alleging that the Saudi-led coalition is “responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together.”

There have been attempts at peace talks, including the latest round that began in Kuwait in April. But in the absence of any diplomatic breakthrough, extremists groups like Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS have expanded their influence.

So who is fighting whom in Yemen, and what does each side in the increasingly complex battle stand for? Click on any square below to learn more.