Yemeni people need international community to step in
All parties in Yemen agree on the principle that the Yemeni crisis will ultimately be settled politically, not militarily. They also agree that the Houthis may be part of the political process, as they are a part of Yemeni society, on condition that they surrender their arms to the state. This will allow Yemen to be rehabilitated and reconstructed to restore its position as an effective member state in the Arabian Gulf region.
However, reaching this ideal stage requires a tremendous amount of work, not only by the legitimate Yemeni government or the Arab coalition, but also by the international community in its entirety.
Previously, the situation had been heading toward a long-awaited resolution as the noose had tightened around the Houthis in the port city of Hodeidah. Yemeni forces, backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, were very close to cutting off the main lifeline sustaining the Houthis by taking control of the port, its resources and everything entering the country by that channel.
In light of this reality, a number of voices emerged within the UN, and they began to call for political dialogue under the UN’s supervision. They also requested the end of all military activities, in particular the progress of the Yemeni government forces toward the central parts of Hodeidah, as they had taken control of the airport and some districts in the city.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking in Rimbo in Sweden in 2018, said that the Hodeidah agreement between the Yemeni government and the Houthis included a complete cease-fire and troop withdrawal. The Stockholm agreement was signed on Dec. 13, 2018.
Guterres told reporters: “There is a cease-fire announced in the entire province of Hodeidah, and there will be a withdrawal of all forces from the city and the port.” He added that the UN would assume responsibility for monitoring the port, while local forces would oversee the “enforcement of order in the city.”
As a result, a committee was to be set up to oversee the redeployment of Yemeni forces in Hodeidah under UN supervision, with local authorities taking over the city under Yemeni law. The redeployment coordination committee would oversee redeployment and surveillance operations, as well as the demining of Hodeidah and its port. The agreement also stipulated that all revenues from the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Isa should be deposited with the Central Bank of Yemen through its branch in Hodeidah to contribute toward paying civil servants in Hodeidah and throughout Yemen.
The UN has neither forced the Houthis to implement the Stockholm agreement nor announced its failure.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami
As to the position of the UN, it remains unclear. It has neither forced the Houthis to implement the outcomes of the Stockholm agreement nor announced the failure of this political effort, declaring its collapse and the end of all the related policies, while shifting the blame on to the Houthis and their backers. The only outcome currently ensured is that the suffering of the Yemeni people will be prolonged and the Houthis will continue to obstruct the delivery of food and medicine to the needy, as well as hampering the efforts of aid workers belonging to the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
Regionally, the Iranian regime’s support for the Houthis will continue through its smuggling of weapons, missiles, drones and money to the group, as well as by sending them military experts. The ordeal of the Yemenis will worsen and the danger posed by Iran’s presence in the south of the Arabian Peninsula will increase. This presence will not only be detrimental to the Arabian Gulf nations, but also to the global economy and navigation at Bab Al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden and other waterways.
In the end, the international community should act to put an end to the suffering of the Yemeni people, and it needs to offer support and aid to the Yemeni government and the Arab coalition. It needs to implement UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2201 and help in the rescue of other Yemeni cities that are under the control of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias.
- Dr. Mohammed Al-Sulami is Head of the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah). Twitter: @mohalsulami
