Yemen minister calls on international community to condemn Houthi truce violations

A demonstrator holds a sign reading ‘end Taiz siege’ demanding the end of a blockade of the area imposed by Yemen’s Houthi militia. (File/AFP)

DUBAI: Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammer Al-Eryani called on the international community, the UN and US envoys to Yemen to openly condemn the Houthi militia’s actions against efforts to maintain the truce and end the war in the country.
The “Iran-allied Houthi militias have continued to maneuver, refusing to implement its obligations under the UN-brokered truce’s article, including lifting the aggressive besiege it has imposed upon millions of civilians in Taiz governorate,” Al-Eryani said a statement carried by the Yemeni News Agency.
The minister added that “Houthi militias’ continuous rejection to open the passageways and ease the peoples movement between the governorates has proved that the militia is fully responsible for blocking the efforts to maintain the truce and bring peaceful solution to the crisis in Yemen.”
Al-Eryani particularly called on the international community to take a decisive stance toward the militia’s sabotage practices to get it fulfilling its obligations under the truce.
The first and foremost obligation shall be lifting a blow made on Taiz to put an end to the civilians’ suffering since seven years, he said.
Yemeni Parliament Speaker Sheikh Sultan Al-Barakani meanwhile discussed with EU Commission head Gabriel Muneera Vinales latest developments in the strife-ridden country.
Al-Barakani said the Houthi attack on Taiz was meant to block the sole road that links the city with Aden, and emphasized need to open roads and ports to Yemeni people.
He pointed out that Houthi militia was not serious in lifting its siege on Taiz. 
For his part, Vinales confirmed the bloc’s continued support of peace efforts and expressed his rejection of bloodshed in Yemen and violations to the UN-sponsored truce.