World must do more against ‘Houthi oppression’: Yemeni leader

LONDON: The chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council on Thursday urged the international community to do more to counter Houthi activities hampering international shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York on the 62nd anniversary of Yemen’s independence, Rashad Al-Alimi hailed “the courage of those young men and women and opinion leaders who challenge every year … the Houthi oppression machine supported by the Iranian regime.”

He urged world leaders to help Yemen with a “collective approach” in order to “reinforce its institutional capabilities to protect its territorial waters, and to secure all of its national territory.”

Yemen has endured a brutal civil war for over a decade, with the Houthis controlling great swathes of the country including the capital Sanaa.

The militia says its attacks on shipping passing through the region are in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

Al-Alimi said his government is “committed to a comprehensive peace,” but this would only be possible if “international resolutions prohibiting the flow of Iranian weapons and drying up the funding sources (of) these militias” are enforced.

“History teaches us that leniency with the enemies of peace leads to the most heinous wars, to the most complex and costly ones,” he warned.

The Houthis have caused severe damage to Yemen’s economy due to its attacks on oil infrastructure, “depriving the Yemeni people of the needed revenues to pay salaries and basic services, which exacerbated the humanitarian crisis and led to an unprecedented devaluation of our national currency,” he added.

Al-Alimi thanked other Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and Oman, for their efforts in trying to mediate between the Yemeni government, based in the temporary capital Aden, and the Houthis, but said the militia has continued its operations.

He expressed concern that the Houthis would take “more oppressive measures against public freedoms” in the coming months, citing crackdowns on Yemen’s judiciary and the forced disappearances of “thousands of innocent men, women, children, (and the) elderly.”

He also noted the arrest by the Houthis of at least 13 UN aid workers since May, as well as dozens of other NGO and charity workers in Yemen, criticizing the UN for not moving its operations out of Houthi-controlled territory.

“There’s a widespread belief that the UN is responsible for giving these militias the opportunity to kidnap this unprecedented number of relief workers and NGO staff, as well as activists and civil society leaders, by not heeding the call of the Yemeni government to transfer their headquarters from Sanaa to the temporary capital Aden,” Al-Alimi said.

“The UN unintentionally enabled these terrorists to take their personnel as hostages, and to use them as a bargaining chip to blackmail the international community and to achieve negotiation concessions that can’t be accepted under any circumstances,” he added.

“This ongoing pattern of reckless escalation and response to the de-escalation initiatives requires the international community to take firm policies and push these militias towards the choice of peace.”

Al-Alimi stressed that the Houthis are waging an “economic war” by attacking oil tankers, facilities and other shipping vessels, which not only harms the Yemeni people but the wider region.

“The international community should seriously consider the devastating effects of these terrorist acts and to provide the vital infrastructure to defend maritime transportation vessels in Yemeni ports, to support the right of the Yemenis and of the Yemeni government to benefit from their resources and improve their living conditions,” he said.

“Protecting the arteries of the economy is necessary not only to recover and rebuild our future, but it’s important also for the stability of the region and for the security of energy in the long term.

“Therefore, we reiterate our hope for the international community to provide immediate, comprehensive support to address the devastating humanitarian conditions, to lay the foundations for a long-term economic recovery.

“This should include not only immediate humanitarian assistance to alleviate suffering, but should also include accountability mechanisms, especially in the regions under Houthi control. 

“It also requires greater investments in infrastructure, healthcare, education and sustainable development. It requires building the national capacities to curb the impact of climate change, which has left hundreds of victims and displaced thousands within the last two months.

“Yemen’s recovery is not only a national matter, it’s a regional and international need. The stability of Yemen is decisive to safeguard peace and stability in the region and trade routes in the Arabian and Red seas, as well as surrounding waterways, including the Suez Canal.”

Al-Alimi said Israel’s war in Gaza needs to be brought to an end if the region is to stabilize and prosper.

“The brutal Israeli war on the Palestinian people should cease immediately,” he said. “This is the first step to achieve peace and to eliminate Iran’s proxies, which are escalating the situation in the region. 

“Iran has been manipulating the just Palestinian cause, and this didn’t come from a vacuum, (but) from a history of blackmailing and of propaganda, only leading to undermining the peace process and reversing the gains of the Palestinian people and their right to establish a fully sovereign state,” he added.

“Ending the plight of the Palestinian people should be based on implementing international resolutions, especially the Arab Peace Initiative.

“And as is the case for both Yemen and Palestine, the only way to deter the wanton Israeli aggression on Lebanon will be through a firm stance from the international community and through the unity of all the Lebanese.”

Al-Alimi concluded by praising the work of certain key regional states, especially Saudi Arabia, in forging economic and social progress and curbing the spread of extremism.

“The Arab region is facing today a challenging test in building the state and in joining civilizational progress,” he said.

“The road to peace goes through the forces of moderation in the region, led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has been defending international resolutions and which extended a helping hand by hosting millions of those fleeing wars and armed conflicts.

“Therefore, we’re grateful for its measures, and the world should depend on them to lay the foundations of peace and stability, and to maximize our benefit from their economic and social development.”