A high-ranking member of the Yemeni Houthi Ansarullah movement has accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of attempts to scupper agreements recently reached between warring sides during the latest round of UN-sponsored peace negotiations in Sweden.
Addressing representatives of various Yemeni political parties in the capital Sana’a on Sunday evening, Secretary-General of Ansarullah political bureau, Fadhel Abutaleb said the Abu Dhabi regime is trying to torpedo the accords by means of its mercenaries, mainly Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh – a Yemeni military commander and the nephew of the late Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
He described the agreements reached during peace talks as a victory for the Yemeni people, stressing that the triumph was scored through the steadfastness of people from all walks of society over the countries involved in the ongoing military aggression on Yemen.
Abutaleb also called on mercenaries fighting on the side of Saudi Arabia and its allies to withdraw from the strategic Red Sea port city of Hudaydah.
The top Ansarullah official then praised UN Security Council Resolution 2451 on Yemen as more effective and helpful compared to previous one.
He urged Yemeni political parties, factions and organizations to form an advisory committee and support the national delegation and the political leadership with their visions.
Delegates from Ansarullah movement and representatives loyal to former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi sat down for a round of peace negotiations in Rimbo, Sweden, earlier this month. The talks resulted in the announcement of a break-through agreement.
The document includes three provisions: a ceasefire along the Hudaydah front and the redeployment of armed forces out of the city and its port; an agreement on prisoner exchange; and a statement of understanding on the southern Yemeni city of Ta’izz.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing the government of Hadi back to power and crushing Ansarullah movement.
According to a new report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis.
The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
A number of Western countries, the US and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.