Open Discussionsin association with the
Gulf Cultural Club
invites you to a discussion:
Yemen: a new dawn or further bloodshed
Speakers
* Neol Brehony (Author, Middle East analyst)
** Dr Abdul Galil Shaif (Yemeni community leader)
At the beginning of December the Southern Transitional Council seized most of south
Yemen upending a relatively calm status quo that prevailed since a UN brokered
truce paused major fighting in the war which began in 2014. The country could now be split in two
and an independent South Yemeni state may be recreated. The STC’s takeover could rekindle a devastating
civil war as Saudi Arabia bombed STC positions in South Yemen and the STC lost all the territory it had captured. The internationally
recognized government has called for a dialogue in Riyadh while the STC has announced a constitution and plans to
hold a referendum on independence from the north. Our speakers will discuss what the future
holds for Yemen as Saudi Arabia backs the internationally recognized government and the UAE
backs the STC.
Time: 6.30 pm, Date: Tuesday 13 January 2026
*Dr Abdul Galil Shaif
immigrated to Britain from Yemen at the age of nine. He graduated from Sheffiled Hallam University and earned a Master of Arts in economics and a PhD in political science from Sheffield University. He is currently a chief executive ACT Aspiring Communities Together (ACT) and CEO of Hadfield Institute which promotes educational and training opportunities in the City of Sheffield and elsewhere for disadvantaged and unemployed people.
** Dr Neol Brehonyafter completing a Ph.D. on Libya, spent two years on post-doctoral research on the West Bank before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he worked mainly on the Middle East with postings to Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan and Egypt. He has held the following positions: Chairman, Middle East Association 1996-97; President, British Society of Middle East Studies 2000-2006; Chairman, Council for British Research in the Levant 2002-2008; Chairman, British Yemeni Society (2010 to present). His book “Yemen Divided” was published by I.B. Tauris London in 2013. He was the coconvenor of the conference “Yemen: Challenges for the Future” held on January 11-12, 2013 at SOAS. He also contributed to the book “Why Yemen Matters: a Society in Transition” to be published by Saqi in 2014.
Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, W1H 4LP
Dinner will be served at 8pm
You can also participate on Zoom using this link
Meeting ID: 892 7532 8690
Passcode: 123456
Or on Youtube:
Please register for catering purposes
email: d05sa@yahoo.co.uk or text 07795 660 438
