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Houthis Exerting Pressure to Control Yemen’s General People’s Congress

Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)
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Houthis Exerting Pressure to Control Yemen’s General People’s Congress

Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Sanaa, Yemen. (Reuters)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen have demanded from their loyalists in the General People’s Congress (GPC) in Sanaa to pressure a prominent member of the party to step down from his position as head of its parliamentary bloc.

The Houthis are seeking the ouster of Sultan al-Burkani and several other members of the GPC in order to complete their takeover of the party that used to be headed by late former President Ali Abdullah Saleh until his assassination by the militias in December.

The Houthis are seeking complete control of the GPC to transform it into a political arm that can serve their agenda in upcoming negotiations with United Nations special envoy Martin Griffiths.

This prompted leading member of the party and parliament Speaker Yehya al-Rahi to boycott for over a week parliament meetings in protest against the Houthi actions. The militias took no heed, however, and forced lawmakers to hold parliament sessions even though they hold no legal basis.

Partisan sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity that the militias ordered GPC lawmakers in Sanaa to oust Burkani from the leadership of the bloc and chose tribal leader MP Zeid Abou Ali as his replacement.

The militias informed their loyalist MPs that they no longer want Burkani to remain in his post given his anti-Houthi stances. Other GPC figures have adopted similar stances and they have been ordered by the Houthis to change them.

In addition, the sources revealed that the militias were seeking to appoint the prime minister of their illegal government, Abdulaziz Habtoor, as GPC secretary general. They also want to appoint pro-Houthi Tareq al-Shami as his assistant secretary general.

They said that the majority of GPC members in Sanaa were no longer able to refuse any Houthi demand given the harassment they are facing. Many others have joined their cause after being lured by money and out of fear of reprisals.

Despite the challenges, more than one source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sanaa GPC leaderships are informing leaderships outside of the Houthi-held capital of their oppression. They explained that they are forced to take decisions against their will and this has been met with understanding from their peers.

Coordination is meanwhile ongoing between GPC members in Sanaa and others elsewhere over the resumption of peace negotiations.

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US Determines Sudan's RSF Committed Genocide, Imposes Sanctions on Leader

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
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US Determines Sudan's RSF Committed Genocide, Imposes Sanctions on Leader

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on June 8, 2022. (AFP)

The United States determined on Tuesday that members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan and it imposed sanctions on the group's leader over a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

The moves deal a blow to the RSF's attempts to burnish its image and assert legitimacy - including by installing a civilian government- as the paramilitary group seeks to expand its territory beyond the roughly half of the country it currently controls.

The RSF rejected the measures.

"America previously punished the great African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, which was wrong. Today, it is rewarding those who started the war by punishing (RSF leader) General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, which is also wrong," said an RSF spokesman when reached for comment.

The war in Sudan has produced waves of ethnically driven violence blamed largely on the RSF. It has also carried out mass looting campaigns across swathes of the country, arbitrarily killing and sexually assaulting civilians in the process.

The RSF denies harming civilians and attributes the activity to rogue actors it says it is trying to control.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement the RSF and aligned militias had continued to direct attacks against civilians, adding they had systematically murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis and had deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of sexual violence.

The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping conflict, Blinken said.

"The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible for these atrocities," Blinken said.

Washington announced sanctions on the leader of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, barring him and his family from travelling to the US and freezing any US assets he might hold. Financial institutions and others that engage in certain activity with him also risk being hit with sanctions themselves.

It had previously sanctioned other leaders, as well as army officials, but had not sanctioned Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as attempts to bring the two sides to talks continued.

Such attempts have stalled in recent months.

"As the overall commander of the RSF, Hemedti bears command responsibility for the abhorrent and illegal actions of his forces," the Treasury said.

Sudan's army and RSF have been fighting for almost two years, creating a humanitarian crisis in which UN agencies struggle to deliver relief. More than half of Sudan's population faces hunger, and famine has been declared in several areas.

The war erupted in April 2023 amid a power struggle between the army and RSF ahead of a planned transition to civilian rule.

Blinken said in the statement that "both belligerents bear responsibility for the violence and suffering in Sudan and lack the legitimacy to govern a future peaceful Sudan."

The US has sanctioned army leaders as well as individuals and entities linked to financing its weapons procurement. Last year, Blinken accused the RSF and the army, which has carried out numerous indiscriminate air strikes, of war crimes.