The pro-Saudi faction has withdrawn from the Yemeni peace talks organized by the UN, claiming that the Shi’ite Houthi movement had “violated” the ceasefire with them, even though the two sides didn’t actually engage in any conflict.
What actually happened, according to reports, was that a neutral faction of soldiers from the former Yemeni government, which were based out of the Umaliqa Base in Amran Province, launched a reported series of raids against Houthi territory. The Houthis responded with an offensive that seized the base.
The pro-Saudi faction insisted that the Houthis had “torpedoed” the talks with this move, claiming it was a deliberate attempt to kill the UN effort, even though by all indications the Houthis were still more than willing to keep talking and again, the Umaliqa faction had nothing to do with either party.
Indeed, during the ceasefire fighting has continued against other factions that aren’t a party to the talks on all sides, with the pro-Saudi faction seizing the entire city of al-Mukallah from al-Qaeda, a much bigger territorial gain than a single military base, without any suggestion this threatened the peace process.
So the Houthi rebels have the right to retake the land that they have taken previously from the legitimate, internationally recognized government and that’s OK? All the mess in Yemen shouldn’t have happened if the Houthis haven’t overrun the government with Iranian smuggled weapons. Most countries call that high treason, not this journalist apparently.
If there was any such thing as a “legitimate government,” its legitimacy would be a function of the consent of the governed, not of “international recognition.”
So the question here is who gets to decide who runs Yemen — the Yemenis, or the Saudis?
If you mean the Houthis by Yemenis people then you’re wrong. The houthis form 30% of yemen people, yet they overtook the whole country with Iran support. The other 70% don’t want them and are fighting them
No, I don’t mean “the Houthis” by “the Yemenis.” I mean all of them.
I’ve heard that Iran may have had some involvement in the overthrow of the previous government. I don’t discount the possibility. But there’s absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it’s the Saudis trying to decide who runs Yemen now.