Hadi Rejects Reproducing the ‘Iranian Experience’ in Yemen

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi meets with the US envoy to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi meets with the US envoy to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba News Agency)
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Hadi Rejects Reproducing the ‘Iranian Experience’ in Yemen

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi meets with the US envoy to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba News Agency)
Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi meets with the US envoy to Yemen in Riyadh. (Saba News Agency)

The UN and US special envoys to Yemen have filled in senior officials in the legitimate Yemeni government about responses they received from Houthi representatives regarding the new Saudi peace initiative for the war-torn country.

The new plan announced by Saudi Arabia last week includes a nationwide ceasefire, opening Sanaa airport, allowing fuel and other commodities into Yemen through Hodeidah and resuming the political process.

Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, during separate meetings with each of the US and UN envoys, reiterated his government’s support for peace efforts that are based on international resolutions, the Gulf initiative and outcomes of national dialogue.

Hadi reaffirmed he totally rejected Houthis’ copying of the Iranian experience in Yemen.

He said that the “Yemeni people will not accept the reproduction of the Iranian experience and the return of defunct clerical rule in Yemen no matter the cost,” adding that his government had made many concessions that have been met with intransigence from the Tehran-backed militias.

He also called on the international community to financially support the government to be able to carry out its duties and humanitarian tasks and complete the steps to implement the Riyadh Agreement, stressing the importance of the efforts of UN envoy Martin Griffiths.

Griffiths, on Friday and Saturday, met with the head of Houthi foreign affairs, Mohammed Abdulsalam, in the Omani capital, Muscat.

He also met with Omani mediators as part of his efforts to convince the militias to positively engage with the Saudi initiative and reboot negotiations.

This coincided with the US State Department announcing that Special Envoy Tim Lenderking was coming back to the region to press for peace in Yemen.

Despite many doubting Houthis coming around and committing to serious peace efforts, diplomatic sources have revealed that the public stance of the militias differs from what its officials are saying behind closed doors.

“We believe Griffiths’ visit to Muscat was positive. What is being rumored about a Houthi rejection is just what the group would like the public to know. Houthis are being serious when discussing peace efforts with the UN envoy,” a diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.



Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
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Dozens Die of Mysterious Illness in Besieged Sudan Town

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese people, displaced from Jezira state due to RSF violence, sit under a tree in New Halfa, Kassala state, Sudan, November 3, 2024. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo

At least 73 people have died of mysterious causes in the Sudanese town of al-Hilaliya, besieged by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the Sudanese Doctors Union said late on Wednesday.
It is one of dozens of villages that have come under attack in eastern El Jezira state since the defection of a top RSF commander to the army, which prompted revenge attacks that have displaced more than 135,000 people.
The war between the two forces has created the world's largest humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 11 million and plunging more into hunger while drawing in foreign powers and prompting fears of state collapse, Reuters said.
While high death tolls in other parts of Jezira came as a result of RSF shelling and gunfire, in Hilaliya people have fallen ill with diarrhea, overwhelming a local hospital according to the union and three people from the area.
A network blackout enforced by the RSF has made it difficult to determine the exact cause.
One man who spoke to Reuters said three of his family members had died of the same illness, but he only found out days later when others escaped to an area with internet access.
Those who wish to leave must pay high sums at RSF checkpoints, said another man.
According to pro-democracy activists, the siege began on Oct. 29 when the RSF raided the town, killing five and surrounding residents inside three mosques.
Hilaliya is home to the family of defected commander Abuagla Keikal, which locals say may explain the siege of a previously stable trade hub that had housed 50,000 people, including many displaced from other areas.
The town's markets and warehouses were looted, witnesses said.
Satellite imagery from a Yale Humanitarian Lab report showed rapid increase in cemeteries in several Jezira towns since the latest revenge attacks began in late October. It also showed evidence of the burning of agricultural fields in the village of Azrag.