Latin American mercenaries join the already complicated Yemen conflict

The poorest country in the Arab world, Yemen has become a battleground for a war that's drawing in the entire Mid-east and beyond.

The conflict in Yemen is violent and bewilderingly tangled with warring fractions both from within the country, and without. 

And its become even more complex with the addition of a group of Latin American mercenary soldiers. But they've been deployed by the nearby United Arab Emirates as a private army. 

Mark Mazzetti is the National Security Correspondent for the New York Times, and author of "The Way of the Knife: The CIA, A Secret Army and a War at the Ends of the Earth." He's been reporting on this development, and joined us from Washington, D.C.

We contacted the U.A.E. Embassy in Ottawa for comment, but the office was closed for a national holiday and a day of remembrance.

Using mercenaries — or "private military contractors" as they're also known today — is nothing new. They've been a part of war for centuries. Though their use raises some interesting ethical questions.

David Johnson is the executive director of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. He is also a retired U.S. special forces Lieutenant-Colonel.

Not everyone agrees that countries, or even individuals or corporations, should have free rein to use mercenaries to fight their wars, or protect their interests.