Rethinking local peace and humanitarian leadership in Hudaydah, Yemen

Abstract

This article examines the prospects for local peace in Hudaydah Governorate, Yemen, through the lens of humanitarian leadership and systems transformation. Located along the Red Sea and hosting Yemen’s most vital ports, Hudaydah represents a critical intersection between humanitarian imperatives, military dynamics, and international political interests. As the primary gateway for commercial imports, fuel, and humanitarian assistance, the governorate remains central to the survival of millions of Yemenis (UNDP, 2020; United Nations, 2024). Drawing on qualitative field research, including interviews with local political, military, and civil society actors, as well as a multi-stakeholder workshop, this article examines how internationally driven ceasefires—most notably the Stockholm Agreement of 2018 and subsequent humanitarian truces—have shaped governance structures and local peace dynamics in Hudaydah. While these interventions succeeded in preventing large-scale urban warfare, they failed to produce sustainable peace. Instead, their narrow focus on stability and humanitarian access, in the absence of accountability, inclusive governance, and local leadership, contributed to the consolidation of de facto authorities and the expansion of war economy structures (Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, 2021). The article argues that Hudaydah reflects broader limitations within humanitarian leadership frameworks when crisis management is not accompanied by systemic political and institutional transformation. It concludes that sustainable local peace requires moving beyond ceasefire-centred approaches toward leadership models grounded in local agency, accountable governance, civilian protection, and inclusive participation. This article is also available in Arabic for our Arabic-speaking colleagues here.