War In Yemen Escalates After Ex-President Is Killed

By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnell
Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen’s ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country’s Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos.
Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. AP Photo/Hani Mohammed
Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen’s ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country’s Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos.
Supporters of Shiite Houthi rebels attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. The killing of Yemen's ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh by the country's Shiite rebels on Monday, as their alliance crumbled, has thrown the nearly three-year civil war into unpredictable new chaos. AP Photo/Hani Mohammed

War In Yemen Escalates After Ex-President Is Killed

By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnell
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Ali Abdullah Saleh, former president of Yemen, supported Iran-backed Houthi rebels battling the current government. He was killed in Sanaa on Monday. Concurrent attacks killed at least 125 people and injured more than 230, according to the Red Cross.

Many blame Saleh’s alliances while in office for the current proxy war in Yemen between Saudi Arabia and Iran. War and disease have plagued the country since 2015.

To discuss Saleh’s legacy and the prospect of peace, we’re joined by Wafa Yafai, a Yemeni-American Chicagoan. She keeps in touch with family and friends in Yemen.