Battles Grow Fiercer in Yemen’s Marib, 1 Million Refugees at Risk

A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
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Battles Grow Fiercer in Yemen’s Marib, 1 Million Refugees at Risk

A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)
A Yemeni girl in traditional clothes in Sanaa, Yemen. (EPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen continue to ignore UN and international community calls to halt their offensive against the governorate of Marib, where over a million refugees have sought asylum from ongoing violence in the war-torn country.

Instead of ceasing the attack campaign against Marib, the Houthis have stepped up recruitment, deployment and assaults against the oil-rich governorate.

Despite the UN Security Council releasing a statement calling for immediate military de-escalation in the northern governorate, the terrorist militants increased the number of fighters deployed to Marib’s western and northwestern fronts, field sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

More so, Yemen's internationally recognized government reported that the management unit operating internally displaced people (IDP) camps in Marib have recorded more than 24,000 people fleeing.

“The recent wave of escalating fighting in Marib displaced over 24,000 people during the period from Feb. 6 to April 16 this year,” it said in a statement, adding that newly displaced people are facing harsh living conditions, including lack of shelter, food, potable water and medical supplies.

The UN refugee agency, for its part, warned that tens of thousands of Yemenis are being forced to flee Marib.

“The fighting is increasingly impacting areas in and around Marib city, where large numbers of people already displaced by the ongoing conflict are sheltering,” said UNHCR spokesperson Aikaterini Kitidi.

“In the first quarter of the year, at least 70 incidents of armed violence – shelling, crossfire and airstrikes – resulted in injuries or deaths of civilians in Marib, according to UNHCR’s protection partners,” she added.

According to Kitidi, in March alone, there were 40 civilian casualties, including 13 in makeshift settlements for displaced families.

“This is the highest number in a month since 2018 in Marib,” she warned.

Since the escalation of fighting, more than 13,600 residents in the region have been forced to flee their homes. Kitidi said the new displacement is putting a heavy strain on public services.

As a consequence, she revealed families are forced to share their shelters with up to three others.

“One in four families have no access to toilets, showers, or hand washing facilities near their shelters. With a second wave of COVID-19 hitting Yemen, and only half of the country’s health facilities functioning, the lack of sanitary services is making the situation more dire,” Kitidi warned.



Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
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Lebanese President Faces Domestic, Foreign Challenges

Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS
Newly-elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun poses for a picture with his family at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. Dalati Nohra/Handout via REUTERS

The election of a new president in Lebanon does not mean the country has come out of the economic and political crises which have gutted it for years. Yet Thursday’s vote marks the beginning of a new phase that carries many challenges for the president and the upcoming government.

It is Joseph Aoun’s responsibility now to appoint a prime minister following binding parliamentary consultations and then form the Cabinet together with the PM.

According to observers, Aoun’s term should carry a roadmap to salvage the country, and a clear plan to address crises and domestic and foreign challenges.

However, there is no magic wand to solve Lebanon’s entire crises.

Instead, Aoun needs a unified working team that should draft a clear ministerial statement that reflects the President’s inaugural speech and his pledge of a “new era” for Lebanon.

“The president's speech constitutes a detailed program for governance. However, his program needs a cabinet capable of implementing it,” former Minister Ibrahim Najjar told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Najjar described the new President as an honest, clean and courageous Lebanese man.

“His election must be followed by the formation of a bold cabinet with new faces, capable of working and making achievements,” he said.

“The Lebanese people expect President Aoun to change the quota-based mentality of politicians. They hope his term will help remove old political figures, who are rooted in the Lebanese quagmire,” the former minister noted.

Former MP Fares Souaid told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun’s first task is to implement the Constitution and the National Accord document.

“In the early 1990s, the Constitution was no longer being implemented due to the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In 2005, the Constitution was again ignored because of Iranian arms.”

Therefore, Soueid said, the Lebanese eagerly expect this new era to constitute a real opportunity for the implementation of both documents.

For years, Lebanon has failed to properly implement its Constitution and UN resolutions, mainly because some political parties had considered their implementation as “a target against their so-called resistance.”

“With the election of President Joseph Aoun, Lebanon has opened a blank page that could meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people, and write a new chapter in the country’s history,” Najjar said.

According to Soueid, Aoun has a task to return Lebanon to its Arab identity. “This is slowly beginning to show through the decline of Iranian influence in the region,” he said.

Also, Soueid said, the new President should mend Lebanon’s relations with the international community by implementing all UN resolutions.

Addressing Parliament and Lebanese people with an acceptance speech, Aoun on Thursday vowed that the Lebanese authorities will have the monopoly on arms and will be committed to a strong state that will extend its sovereignty over the entire territory.

“This is in line with UN resolutions, which if implemented, will bring Lebanon back to the Arab and international scene,” Soueid said.