Yemen Crisis

Fight between the Houthi Rebels who are predominantly Shia and are supported overtly and covertly by Iran and the establishment or the legitimate govt. of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.  

President Hadi fled to Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia and asked for their help. Saudi Arabia started bombing the capital city of Yemen, Sana'a.

Hauthi rebels are supported by the loyalists of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The fight is turning into a Shia-Sunni fight wherein the Sunni groups are getting into a fight with the Houthi Rebels. 

Houthi group follows the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam. Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is a Sunni group and is an affiliate of ISIS of Iraq. They bombed two Zaydi mosques in Sana'a recently wherein many people died. 

India and Yemen:-

In 1839, Aden became part of the British Empire and was administered by the Bombay Presidency as a sentinel to guard the southern entrance to the Red Sea. A garrison of 2000 Indian soldiers was established in Aden and the Indian Rupee was made the official currency.

The Aden administration was separated from India in April 1937 with the appointment of a Governor directly reporting to London. An Indian diplomatic mission at the level of Commissioner was set up in Aden in June 1950. The Indian Embassy in Sana’a was established in 1970.

A large number of Indian nationals, including Hindus, Muslims and Parsis, had lived in Aden since mid-1880s. One such prominent person was Cowasjee Shavaksha Dinshaw Adenwalla, who migrated from Surat to Aden in 1855. He was the founder of the Fire Temple in Aden. 

Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of the now famous Reliance Group, also started his career as a trader in Aden. There were as many as ten temples in Aden during 1950s, including a Jain Temple, an Ayyappan Temple and a Parsi Temple, of which only one is currently functional.

When the British finally withdrew from Aden in 1967, it resulted in the hasty departure of many Indians either to India or some other country. But a large number belonging to the Bohra, Khoja and Kachchi communities decided to remain behind and gradually became Yemeni citizens. An estimated 100,000 people of Indian origin are concentrated in southern part around Aden, Mukalla, Shihr, Lahaj, Mokha and Hodeidah.

At the same time, thousands of people of Yemeni origin, mainly from Hadramaut, migrated to India and settled down mainly in the city of Hyderabad. These age-old ties between India and Yemen are reflected now by the presence of a strong Yemeni-origin Diaspora in India and a vibrant Indian-origin Diaspora in Yemen.

Indian Diaspora in Yemen:- 

The number of Indian nationals, which was estimated around 14000 in 2010, declined to an estimated 5000 by June 2011 following political instability and violence in the country. However, only around 3000 Indians are registered with the Embassy. 

Most of the Indians living in Yemen comprise of nurses, hospital staff, university professors, professionals, white collar workers, IT professionals, managerial and clerical staff in private sector, including oil companies, and skilled and semi-skilled workers. 

The paramedical personnel and hospital staff forms the dominant group and their number exceeds 2000. 

A vast majority of the Indians hail from Kerala but a few others belong to other states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

Source:-

http://eoisanaa.org/indian-diaspora-in-yemen/