Watch part two

With separate struggles gripping two different parts of Yemen, can the poorest country in the Middle East resolve its conflicts and still remain unified?

The five-year uprising in the north intensified in August when government forces launched a new offensive against the Houthi fighters from the Zaidi sect of Shia Islam. 

More than 150,000 people have been displaced by the fighting around Saada City, which has not had water or electricity for two months and is now running out of food.

While aid organisations are encountering huge obstacles in providing humanitarian relief, the chaos has given al-Qaeda a chance to strengthen its foothold in Yemen.

Many also worry about Iranian influence, which has offered to negotiate between the rebels and the government. 

Meanwhile, thousands took to the streets of Aden this week to demand that southern Yemen regain the sovereignty it lost when the country was unified in 1990.

To discuss these issues, Riz Khan is joined by Thomas Krajeski, the former US ambassador to Yemen, and Abdul-Ghani al-Iryani, a prominent Yemeni businessman and political consultant based in Sana'a, the country's capital.

The Riz Khan show can be seen live from Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 2030GMT, with repeats on Friday at 0030GMT, 0530GMT and 1130GMT.