The Future Of Yemen’s South Under Saudi Oversight

Описание: As Yemen’s war enters a new phase, the country’s south is being reshaped, and its future remains uncertain. Saudi Arabia has moved to consolidate its role as the primary external patron managing the southern political and security file, recalibrating relationships with local actors and redefining the limits of autonomy, authority, and legitimacy.

This event examines what the South’s future looks like under Saudi patronage. What does Riyadh’s expanded role mean for southern political aspirations, governance arrangements, and security dynamics? How should we understand the current state of the Presidential Leadership Council and the coalition? How does this shift affect relations among southern factions, the internationally recognized government, and regional stakeholders? And what are the implications for Yemen’s broader political settlement, regional stability, and Red Sea security?

Bringing together analysts and practitioners, the discussion will assess the emerging order in southern Yemen, the strategic calculations driving Saudi engagement, and the scenarios that could shape the South’s trajectory in the months ahead.

Speakers:

Dr. Saadaldeen Talib
Presidium Member·Hadhramout National Council (HNC)

Dr. Saadaldeen Talib, born in Shibam, Hadhramaut, is a Yemeni politician and former government minister with extensive experience in public service. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2003, and later as a member of the Supreme National Authority for Combating Corruption from 2007 to 2009. From 2011 to 2014, he held the position of Minister of Industry and Trade. He currently serves on the Presidium of the Hadhramout National Council and resides in Singapore.

Dr. April Longley Alley
Senior Fellow Gulf States and Yemen·Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP)

Dr. April Longley Alley is a Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute, where her research focuses on Yemen and the Gulf. A leading regional expert with over 15 years of experience in conflict analysis and mediation, she most recently served as the senior expert for the Gulf States and Yemen at the United States Institute of Peace. Previously, she spent four years at the United Nations as senior political advisor to the UN Special Envoy to Yemen. Dr. Alley spent a decade at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based conflict prevention organization, ending her tenure there as Deputy Program Director for the Middle East and North Africa. She also worked at the National Defense University’s Center for Applied Strategic Learning. Dr. Alley holds a PhD in Government and an MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University. A former Fulbright and David L. Boren fellow, she has written extensively for publications including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Middle East Journal, and the Journal of Democracy.

Amb. Marwan Ali Noman
Senior Fellow·WCYS

Ambassador Marwan Ali Noman joined the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies as a Senior Research Fellow in 2025. Noman is a Yemeni diplomat with extensive experience in diplomacy and international relations for over two decades. He served in different stations, including Vienna, Riyadh, and New York. Previously, Noman worked as Chief of Staff of the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen and served as the Secretary of the National Committee for Re fugee Affairs from 2014 to 2015. He obtained a fellowship in Peacemaking & Preventive Diplomacy from IPI and UNITAR in Oslo, Norway, in 2017. He served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Yemen to the UN from 2016 to 2024. Noman holds an MA in International Politics & Security Studies from the Peace Studies Department of Bradford University in the United Kingdom and a BA in Political Science from Sana’a University.

Moderator: Fatima Abo Alasrar
Senior Policy Analyst·WCYS

Fatima Abo Alasrar is a Senior Policy Analyst at WCYS, Founder and Author of TheIdeologyMachine.com. Alasrar was a senior analyst at the Arabia Foundation in Washington, DC; the MENA director for Cure Violence; a research associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington; a Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government; and an international policy fellow at the Open Society Foundation. From 2006 – 2012, she worked as an advisor for the Embassy of Yemen in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, Alasrar served as a program officer for the Department for International Development in Yemen. Alasrar holds an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University, an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Architectural Engineering from Sanaa University in Yemen.