Yemeni Parties Denounce Int’l Inaction towards Houthi Violence

A girl plays at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A girl plays at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
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Yemeni Parties Denounce Int’l Inaction towards Houthi Violence

A girl plays at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)
A girl plays at a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Marib, Yemen October 2, 2020. (Reuters)

Pro-government parties in Yemen’s National Alliance of Political Parties (NAPP) have denounced international inaction towards the violence of Iran-backed Houthi militias in the war-torn country.

The parties, in an official statement, urged the internationally recognized Yemeni government to undertake decisive action to end battles waged by Houthis in the oil rich Marib governorate. They called for supplying the army with all means necessary for securing victory and defeating coup militias.

Both Houthi violence in Marib, where millions of Yemenis have sought asylum, and against civilian targets in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

“Reckless Houthi escalation behind which the Iranian regime is standing confirms that these militias are persistent in their war on the Yemeni people and efforts to destabilize security and peace in the region,” the NAPP parties said in their statement, adding that Houthis are blocking international peace efforts.

The statement called for “solidarity with the army in Marib and other battlefronts,” and urged joining army ranks to counter Iranian aggression. It also demanded the government “provides all the support needed by the army and popular resistance to win the decisive battle against Houthis.”

Yemeni parties expressed their “surprise at the international community’s failure to act against the Houthi escalation in Marib, where they have attacked densely populated areas and IDP camps with missiles and drones.”

They also warned against the catastrophic humanitarian risks entailed should Houthis not cease hostilities that threaten the entire region’s stability and peace.

The parties said that the removal of Houthis from the US terror blacklist did not inspire the group to shift towards peace. Counter-actively, it emboldened the militia’s drive for violence against civilians.

Both the UN and its Security Council, according to the parties, must play their role in stopping the military escalation and terrorist attacks targeting Yemenis and pressure Iran-backed Houthi militias to submit to the decisions of international legitimacy.

The parties urged holding Houthis responsible for the repercussions of their criminal escalation against civilians.



Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
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Sudanese Army Recaptures Positions from RSF in El Fasher

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher following clashes between army forces and the RSF (DPA)

The Sudanese army carried out a surprise military operation in the early hours of Saturday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, regaining several positions in the city’s far southwest that it had previously abandoned to advancing Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Military sources reported that calm returned to El Fasher after intense clashes on Friday between the army and RSF fighters, who attempted a major offensive to deepen their hold inside the city. In a statement, the army said its Sixth Infantry Division successfully repelled a fresh RSF attack, inflicting heavy losses in personnel and equipment, and restored control over all frontline areas.

RSF militants had infiltrated southern neighborhoods, seizing the Central Security Reserve headquarters and the Shalla prison. According to army sources, these forces were pushed back through ground combat supported by extensive drone strikes, forcing them to retreat to their original positions. The sources confirmed there were no significant breakthroughs or territorial gains by the RSF following the operation.

In a statement on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamel Idris expressed “deep anger, pain, and responsibility” over the worsening humanitarian disaster in El Fasher. He condemned the “suffocating and inhumane siege imposed by the RSF militia,” describing it as “one of the most brutal cases of collective extortion and systematic starvation in recent history.”

Idris vowed that the government would not stand idly by in the face of this “atrocious” crime and pledged to use all political, diplomatic, and humanitarian means to break the siege and ensure urgent aid reaches civilians trapped in El Fasher amid widespread starvation and international silence.

He called on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with international and humanitarian organizations, to act immediately to pressure the militia to open humanitarian corridors and end the use of starvation as a weapon against civilians.

The prime minister highlighted the RSF’s refusal to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demands lifting the siege on El Fasher, and their rejection of UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire. He held the militia responsible for obstructing aid and accountable for the ongoing starvation and terror inflicted on civilians.

Idris warned against silence over these crimes, including the killing of civilians fleeing the siege and bombardments. He also cited the systematic destruction of hospitals by RSF suicide drone and strategic attacks, threatening the lives of millions of innocent civilians.

“What is happening in El Fasher is a major crime committed in full view and hearing of the world,” he said, urging the international community to move beyond lukewarm statements to real action and pressure on those besieging, starving, and attacking civilians.

The RSF continues to attempt to seize the city and its army base, the last stronghold of government forces across all Darfur states. Military sources said defenders repelled the assault and inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers.

The RSF has maintained a tight siege on El Fasher since May 2024, blocking all roads and supply routes and preventing humanitarian aid from entering, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths from starvation and medical shortages.