The Yemeni island of Perim feels like a step back into the past, with its barren sand and rock landscape. However, its strategic location in the Bab al-Mandab Strait has put it at the heart of an ongoing conflict.
For Yemen’s internationally recognised government, the stakes in defending Perim are higher than ever, CNN reported. After the Houthis launched their offensive, clashes have raged across several parts of Yemen, as per The Guardian . By the next year, the country was split into factions, with the Houthis controlling the capital, Sanaa, and the northwestern parts, while the government and allied factions held most of the south and east. The latest Houthi offensive against the Yemeni government started in July, ending a four-year truce between the group and Saudi Arabia. Cities such as Taiz, Ad Dali, al-Bayda, Marib, Shabwah, al-Jawf and Hodeidah have seen renewed fighting as the government and Houthis fight to gain supremacy.
On Thursday, Mocha, a crucial coastal location about 50 miles north of Perim, was captured by the Iran-backed Houthis. Yemen’s civil war started in 2014.
