Maps published to mark ten years of war in Yemen portray a landscape of shifting front lines and fragmented authority, underlining that despite territorial changes the country remains divided.
Maps show shifting front lines
Over the past decade control of towns, provinces and sea approaches has moved repeatedly between competing forces. The Houthi movement continues to hold Sanaa, the country's political and administrative heart, but the maps illustrate how responsibility for other areas has passed back and forth among a mix of local and foreign-backed actors.
Stalemate and fragmentation
The visual record points to a prolonged stalemate rather than decisive victory for any single side. In many parts of Yemen governance is contested or divided, with armed groups, local authorities and external patrons each controlling pieces of the map. That fragmentation has made coherent national authority elusive and complicated efforts at political settlement.
Humanitarian and strategic consequences
Analysts say the evolving front lines have had severe humanitarian consequences, disrupting services, livelihoods and aid access across wide areas. Shifts in control have also shaped maritime and cross-border security dynamics, with implications for regional diplomacy and the delivery of relief.
Maps as a tool for diplomacy and aid
Observers argue that the decade-long mapping of control can help negotiators and relief agencies understand on-the-ground realities and design responses accordingly. But the overall picture, the maps show, remains one of protracted conflict: a country without a single ruler and with deep territorial fragmentation after ten years of war.