News Analysis: Terror strikes Yemen amid crippling peace process

Yemeni government has suspended its participation in peace talks in Kuwait again and here is the winner of the crippling peace process in the country: terror.

In recent weeks, southern and southeastern regions have seen deadly Islamic State (IS)-claimed bombings.

In Mukalla, the capital of eastern province of Hadramout, more than 30 police recruits were killed and scores injured in an IS blast this week.

The attack came weeks after the government with support from the Saudi-led coalition drove al-Qaida militants out of the city.

And since Aden was retaken from the Houthi militants in mid-2015, the IS and al-Qaida have been active in the temporary capital and responsible for a wave of explosions and assassinations.

Dozens of security, military and military officers and civilians have been killed in Aden blasts and assassinations.

It seems the real problem does not lie in ineffectiveness of counter-terrorism efforts but rather in the overlap between chaos and terror, observers argue.

"Though violence is a natural consequence of dictatorship and oppression, we need to acknowledge that some countries are manipulating the situation here," said Nabil Albukiri, a researcher specialized in Islamist groups.

"In other words, some countries are using militant groups to justify their military and political interventions in our country," Albukiri said.

Fuad Alsalahi, a political sociology professor at Sanaa University, said terror in the Middle East, Yemen in particular, is part of the creative chaos project sponsored by the West, especially the United State.

"It is the ugly truth. However, our political elites still can do something useful: putting the country's interest above anything else," Alsalahi said.

"Yemeni factions have to agree on restoring the government first. Only with a government, we can fight terror and put an end to chaos," he added.

There is a positive relationship between chaos and terror, the longer the chaos is, the stronger terrorist groups become, observers warn.

Andulrazzaq Al-Jamal, a researcher specialized in terrorist groups, said the situation in Yemen is worrying and al-Qaida and the IS might strike stronger in the future.

"Yemen now is like Iraq and Syria, a heaven for terrorist groups amid all this chaos. Geographic borders may melt at any moment and then the country will witness an open conflict," Al-Jamal said.

SLUGGISH TALKS

The UN-sponsored talks between the government and the former president alliance were launched four weeks ago.

No progress has been made. The talks have been suspended for three times with both sides trading blame for that.

Observers say the factions are ignoring the fact that terrorist groups have been taking advantage of political disagreements and conflict for more than a year.

"Terrorists are targeting all factions. They strike in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, killing Houthi loyalists, and in government-run regions killing government troops. All have one enemy which requires their unity," said Ahmed Al-Jabr, a political analyst.

"Yemenis and the international community need to be very dedicated to the peace process. Maybe peace first if we want to beat terrorists, as we know chaos provides militants with the opportunity to tighten foothold and then strike," Al-Jabr said. Endit