Taiz and the Health-Peace Nexus Governing Covid-19 in the City

Prior to the first recorded Covid-19 case in Yemen in April 2020, the economic warfare waged by all conflict parties had destroyed vital infrastructure and left 24 million Yemenis seeking aid. As Yemen prepared for the arrival of Covid-19, the Houthis had begun their advances on Marib governorate, the remaining stronghold governorate in the north still supportive of the government. Whilst it is partly true to say conflict actors failing to protect civilians and infrastructure in turn breaks down the ‘governance mechanisms’ required for any kind of health response, the situation is a lot more complex. At this stage in Yemen’s conflict there is an increasing need to better understand the reality that many of these conflict actors are themselves embedded in what we would define as a system of governance. This post by PSRP Research Associate Robert Wilson was originally published on the Covid Collective.