The third anniversary of the war in Yemen is approaching, and there are few signs that the conflict, which is being fought between an armed military group called the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces, is abating.

Last month, the country was pushed into further uncertainty following the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the Houthis. Saleh, a former Houthi ally who had switched allegiances to support the Saudi-led coalition, was an important figure in the war and his death has been viewed as cementing Houthi power, in the short term at least. 

Beyond the political situation, humanitarian organisations have been reporting alarming statistics for the 28 million population. A third of the population is on the brink of starvation, almost 10,000 civilians have been killed or injured since March 2015, including 5,000 children, and a further 400,000 are severely malnourished. The World Health Organization says a cholera outbreak has to date affected 1 million people.