These have been traumatic days for Yemen. Wednesday’s military parade to celebrate National Day went ahead despite the carnage at the rehearsal 24 hours earlier in which 96 soldiers were slain when a man they thought a trusted comrade blew himself up with an Al-Qaeda bomb.

It was a brave testament by the Yemeni armed forces and President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s government that they will not be diverted in their campaign to drive the terrorists out of areas of the country that they have seized. Many Yemenis who took part in the ending of  President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s corrupt and repressive 30-year rule and February’s successful elections still fear for the future of their country.

It is not simply the presence of Al-Qaeda bigots that concerns them. The Yemen that Saleh left behind is woefully under-developed and still pitifully poor.  What in its historic heyday was one of the great trading areas, the fabled land of the Queen of Sheba, with Hadramauti merchants venturing as far as China and way down the African coast in search of trade, is neglected and rundown, having been deprived for over a generation of the sort of infrastructural investment that would have built a new prosperity.

As for the turmoil caused by the conflict with the terrorists, it is exacerbating a serious food shortage. Aid agencies are warning that many of the country’s 25 million inhabitants are on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. The Yemeni government is seeking $10 billion in aid, part of which will be used to purchase food.
Saudi Arabia has set an example to other donors by immediately pledging $3.25 billion of the sum requested.  It is, of course, in the Kingdom’s interests to have a stable and peaceful Yemen as its neighbor; the more prosperous it is, the less a problem it will be for Saudi Arabia.  But this aid is being given first and foremost for humanitarian reasons. All Saudis will be grateful for the decisive  and generous action being undertaken in their name.
Once the immediate danger of famine has been averted, serious thought must be given to reconstructing the Yemeni economy and improving ports and roads to make the country more attractive for foreign investors and to empower and enable local businesses.

Unfortunately, international interest in fostering economic growth will remain severely limited as long as the scourge of terrorism haunts the country and Yemen is seen as a new center for Al-Qaeda. While intelligence services from around the world can help the Yemeni authorities with information about the terrorists, gleaned from communications intercepts and satellite surveillance, in the final analysis this is a battle that only the Yemenis themselves can fight and win.  And not all of the struggle is military. The Al-Qaeda leadership has capitalized on long-standing resentments among elders in some of the tribes. These people protect and sustain the terrorists. A campaign to address tribal grievances, in particular improving their economic standing, is essential to persuade them to eject and help destroy the vipers in their midst.