Human rights advocate and Nobel laureate and human rights activist Tawakkol Karman marked the 36th anniversary of Yemeni unity today with a sweeping national address, warning that the country stands at the most dangerous juncture in its modern history and calling for an urgent end to the politics of division, war profiteering, and foreign proxy control.

In a statement issued on the occasion of May 22, Karman described Yemeni unity as “the soul of our modern national movement” and “the very essence of sovereignty—non-negotiable and immune to transient conflicts.” She paid tribute to generations of Yemenis in both North and South who upheld the indivisibility of the national identity, even through the darkest eras of division.

A Reckoning with the Past
Karman did not shy away from acknowledging what she called the “flawed policies pursued after unification, particularly since 1994,” which she said had inflicted lasting harm on large segments of the population, especially in the southern governorates. “Recognizing these mistakes is essential to ensuring they are not repeated,” she stated. “Our commitment to unity does not imply acceptance of authoritarian, centralized hegemony. What we seek is a federal state that guarantees equal citizenship and justice for all.”

The War Economy and Militarization
The activist delivered a blistering critique of the forces she said have turned Yemen’s collapse into a business model. She accused both Houthi militias in the north and separatist militias in the south of carving up the country through “extortion, systematic looting, and gross violations of human rights,” leaving citizens without electricity, fuel, or salaries while militia leaders monopolize state resources.

“The continuation of this tragedy can no longer be explained as mere political impotence,” Karman said. “It has become a vested interest for a class of war profiteers who have grown and thrived in the crucible of this war. Networks of influence have been built on your hunger and suffering.”

She identified the dismantling of these corrupt networks and the combatting of the war economy as “the indispensable first step toward restoring national sovereignty and achieving lasting peace.”

An Appeal to the Region
Karman directed an urgent appeal to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Egypt, urging them to provide decisive political, economic, and diplomatic support to Yemen’s legitimate state. She framed Yemen’s fragmentation not merely as a domestic crisis but as a direct threat to Gulf and Arab national security.

She also warned against the militarization of the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, citing Houthi recklessness and what she described as Israeli designs on Yemeni coasts and islands through regional proxies. “The summoning of foreign warships into our territorial seas constitutes a flagrant violation of sovereignty, reducing Yemen to a bargaining chip in conflicts alien to our people,” she said. “Restoring the full sovereignty of a unified Yemeni state is no longer just a local necessity—it is an urgent global imperative.”

A Roadmap for Peace
The statement outlined concrete demands for immediate de-escalation: the reopening of all roads and crossings, the removal of illegal checkpoints, the payment of public sector salaries across all governorates, the unification of monetary policy and currency, mutual recognition of national documents, the resumption of domestic flights, and the lifting of restrictions on Sana’a Airport and Yemeni ports.

Karman also called on all political, partisan, and social forces to abandon “the zero-sum antagonisms of the past” and rally around what she termed the single inviolable common denominator: Greater Yemen. “The rescue of the homeland demands mutual concessions and the political courage to subordinate every partisan interest to the survival of a people already bled dry by war and starvation,” she said.

Justice and Accountability
In a sharp final warning, Karman condemned the wave of political assassinations and the subversion of security forces into “mercenary death squads.” She demanded transparent investigations and trials that expose “the financiers, instigators, and beneficiaries—not merely the triggermen, who are expendable instruments easily replaced.”

She concluded with a defiant affirmation of national endurance: “Yemeni unity was founded to endure. Yemen will remain, despite conspiracies and setbacks, and its national entity will continue as a shining beacon in our history, present, and future. The just national state, grounded in law and equal citizenship, will remain the safe haven for all Yemenis.”

Below is the full text of the address:

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

To the great people of Yemen, at home and across the diaspora—

To the free, steadfast vanguards defending our sacred national soil:

May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.

We stand today with deep reverence before a great national occasion in the history of our beloved Yemeni nation, commemorating the thirty sixth anniversary of the blessed restoration of Yemeni unity on 22 May 1990.
To honor this glorious day is to celebrate the soul of our modern national movement—the ultimate culmination of decades of struggle by our fathers and grandfathers across the North and South. Even during the darkest eras of division, they understood a fundamental truth: the Yemeni identity is indivisible, and our destiny is one.
Yemeni unity was the greatest and most noble national project of our modern history; without it there can be no genuine development, lasting political stability, or a civilizational renaissance befitting a dignified people such as ours. Unity is the very essence of sovereignty—non‑negotiable and immune to the ebb and flow of transient conflicts or to proxy wars driven by foreign agendas alien to our soil and indifferent to our people’s interests, suffering, future, and destiny.
On 22 May the free will of the nation was manifested, rooted in Yemeni soil and the resolve of the Yemeni people, free from external dictates. It was a purely Yemeni decision, ratified in a referendum and overwhelmingly endorsed by the populace, affirming to the world that unity was not merely an elite political choice but the popular mandate and paramount aspiration of the Yemeni nation.

Brothers and sisters, fellow citizens,
On this anniversary of unity, we must summon the courage to acknowledge the flawed policies pursued after unification—particularly since the summer of 1994—that harmed large segments of our people, most notably in the southern governorates, where state support was withdrawn without fair or equitable alternatives. Recognizing these mistakes is essential to ensuring they are not repeated. Our commitment to national unity does not, in any way, imply acceptance of a return to the authoritarian, centralized hegemony that produced exclusion and marginalization. What we seek is a federal state that guarantees equal citizenship and justice for all. This is our purpose: no tolerance for injustice, no avenue for domination.
No one can deny that the past ten lean years have been a dark and bitter chapter, aimed at tearing apart the social fabric. That period saw the emergence of sectarian militias in the north and separatist militias in the south—groups that acted with extreme brutality and self‑interest, carving the nation up to suit their own whims and ambitions.

The existence of these forces outside the framework of the state constitutes an ongoing assault on Yemen’s present and future, fueled by extortion, systematic looting, persecution of urban and rural communities, and gross violations of human rights that deny citizens the right to life and a dignified existence in their own land. The country has been militarized; this militarization is the gravest and most immediate threat to Yemen’s future.

Looking at the current situation, it is undeniably clear to all that the alternative to a unified homeland and a unified Yemeni state is none other than what we are experiencing today: proxy wars, the rise of those who exploit the people, war profiteers, and mercenaries. It is also the revival of defunct illusions of the imamate, new colonial projects, and control by unpatriotic armed groups acting as tools of foreign powers.
After ten years, the suffering and economic crisis have become a painful daily reality for Yemeni citizens in the various conflict zones and areas of influence.
The Houthi militia has abandoned its responsibilities in the areas it controls. Similarly, the legitimate government has failed to fulfill its duties in Aden and the provinces under its control.
The result is the absence of the most basic necessities of life. Electricity is virtually nonexistent, and what little supply exists is cut off during the sweltering summer heat in Hodeidah and Aden. Domestic gas has become a tool for monopolization and extortion, and the salaries of government employees have been seized by the warring factions.
Concurrently, our country is beset by relentless insecurity, a total absence of stability, and a terrifying rise in poverty and hunger that have afflicted millions after a decade of war and severe humanitarian crises.
The continuation of this tragedy that our people are enduring throughout Yemen can no longer be simply viewed and explained as a matter of political impotence. Unfortunately, it has become a vested interest for a class of war profiteers and their associates, who have grown and thrived in the crucible of this war. Networks of influence have been built on your hunger and suffering, composed of warlords and those who benefit from the absence of the state in both the north and the south.
Those who control the black markets—fuel smuggling, money‑laundering, extortion, currency monopolies—and who traffic in trade, goods, and state resources understand that the establishment of the rule of law would mean their end. Accordingly, they are intent on keeping Yemen mired in chaos—a state of “neither war nor peace”—so they can continue to plunder the nation’s wealth and livelihoods. Combating the war economy and dismantling these corrupt networks is the indispensable first step toward restoring national sovereignty and achieving lasting peace.
The Yemeni people can no longer endure further senseless conflict. Now, more than ever, they yearn for comprehensive national reconciliation and a just political settlement that ends the war and restores the Yemeni state, its institutions, and its standing—rooted in genuine national partnership and the equitable distribution of power and wealth.
In this context, we view prisoner exchange agreements as a vital humanitarian and political step toward rebuilding trust. We sincerely hope these measures will be followed by immediate, practical actions that directly alleviate the daily hardships of our people—chief among them, the reopening of all interconnected roads and transit points to break the economic chokeholds on our cities and restore the free movement of people and goods. Furthermore, we call for the dismantling of unauthorized checkpoints and illegal levies that extort merchants and burden everyday citizens with inflated prices.
Furthermore, we demand the immediate payment of salaries to all public servants across Yemen, without exception. We call for a unified monetary policy and currency to end the fragmentation of the banking sector, alongside the mutual recognition of national IDs and passports to protect citizenship rights and freedom of movement.

We demand the resumption of domestic flights, the lifting of restrictions on Sana’a Airport and all maritime ports, and an end to economic sanctions that punish everyday Yemenis. Finally, we welcome the revival of national sports—not merely as entertainment, but as a sanctuary for solidarity, bridging our youth from Al-Mahra to Saada.

On this great national occasion, we reaffirm that our Arab depth remains our vital anchor. We look particularly to the pivotal role of our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and Egypt, and count on their political, economic, and diplomatic backing to thwart projects of division and help reclaim our national state. Recent events have proven that a fractured Yemen does not just endanger Yemenis—it directly undermines Gulf and Arab national security.

Driven by a shared destiny, we call on our Saudi brothers to intensify their active support for the legitimate authority, enabling it to end security chaos and instability in the temporary capital of Aden and all liberated governorates.

Stability in these regions, the reinforcement of official state institutions, and the preservation of Yemeni unity form the cornerstone for reclaiming the entirety of our national territory and consolidating security across the region. Yemen today faces the most perilous stage in its modern history: decision‑making is no longer confined to domestic or regional politics, but increasingly shaped by reckless Houthi militia adventures in the Red Sea and Bab al‑Mandab, alongside attempts by Israel to exert indirect control over Yemeni coasts and islands through regional proxies. The militarization of Yemen’s waterways and the summoning of foreign warships into our territorial seas constitute a flagrant violation of sovereignty, reducing Yemen to a bargaining chip in conflicts alien to our people.
Therefore, we maintain that because global security is intrinsically linked to the stability of the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and Yemen’s coastlines and islands, restoring the full sovereignty of a unified Yemeni state over its entire territory and waters is no longer just a local necessity—it is an urgent global imperative to safeguard international peace.
On this cherished national occasion, we extend a sincere appeal to all political, partisan, and social forces to move beyond the politics of antagonism and the conflicts of the past, and to unite around one shared national imperative: the vision of a greater Yemen.

The rescue of the homeland demands mutual concessions and genuine political courage—courage that places the interests of the Yemeni people, who continue to endure the devastating consequences of war, impoverishment, and hunger, above partisan agendas and narrow regional or factional considerations.

All parties must recognize that the perpetuation of chaos guarantees security for no one, regardless of the extent of their power or influence.

In this context, we must stand firmly against these sinister plots—most notably political assassinations and the subversion of elements within our security and military forces into contract killers. To ignore the architects of these assassinations is to clear the path for an even darker, bloodier era.

True justice demands transparent, rigorous investigations and trials that expose the financiers, instigators, and ultimate beneficiaries of these crimes—not just the trigger-pullers, who are merely disposable tools. We must summon the resolve to unmask and disrupt the diabolical scenarios being engineered against our nation; this is the very essence of national responsibility.

In conclusion, I speak with unwavering confidence in our land and people: Yemeni unity was founded to endure. Yemen will remain, despite conspiracies and setbacks, and its national entity—the Republic of Yemen—will continue as a shining beacon in our history, present, and future. The just national state, grounded in law and equal citizenship, will remain the safe haven for all Yemenis.

Long live Yemen—free, independent, united, and stable.
Mercy for the martyrs, healing for the wounded, and freedom for the prisoners and detainees. 
Peace be upon you all.