Yemen: Red Sea, Intervention & Domestic Conflict
Three narrative axes on the Yemeni crisis analyzed with ACLED data (Jan 2023 – Mar 2025). We don’t replicate data: we interpret it.
What the data reveals
Yemen is no longer just a frozen civil war. Since November 2023, three dynamics overlap and reshape the map of violence.
- The Houthi maritime campaign in the Red Sea spikes events by 90% between 2023 and 2024, from 6,624 to 12,605 annual events.
- The US and UK launch over 500 military operations since January 2024, including 793 air and drone strikes on Yemeni territory.
- Internal battles generate 76% of the 5,940 fatalities in the period, with AQAP maintaining 254 events and 311 deaths.
- Ad Dali leads in fatalities (1,393) despite not being the governorate with the most events — a sign of concentrated high-intensity violence.
- December 2024 marks the peak in fatalities (380), coinciding with the final bombing escalation and intensification of internal clashes.
What you will find
- Two original analysis narratives: Red Sea and US/UK operations
- Full timeline, typology and actors of the conflict
- Geographic distribution and civilian targeting dynamics
Editorial note
This page does not replicate ACLED data — it interprets it from the IAWatch editorial perspective. The narratives, groupings and analyses are original work by the IAW team.
Key metrics
21.961
Events recorded
Total political violence events in the period.
Monthly peak: Dic 2024
5.940
Reported fatalities
Deaths according to ACLED records.
Monthly peak: 380 (Dic 2024)
8.8%
Attacks on civilians
Share of events classified as violence against civilians.
22
Governorates affected
Administrative divisions with at least one event.
342
Armed actors
Distinct actors reported in events.
+90%
Year-over-year change
+90% in events from 2023 to 2024.
Methods and data notes
What is ACLED?
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) collects data on political violence and protest events in near real time.
What is counted
Events (discrete incidents) and fatalities (deaths) are counted. Figures are conservative due to underreporting and coverage bias.
Limitations
Limitations: reporting bias by territorial access, underreporting in active conflict zones, and the inherent difficulty of categorizing maritime/naval events crossing jurisdictional boundaries.
Editorial approach
This page does not replicate ACLED data — it interprets it from the IAWatch editorial perspective. The narratives, groupings and analyses are original work by the IAW team.
Update frequency: weekly. Data may differ between versions.