White House Faces Pressure to Intervene Effectively in Yemeni Crisis

Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan, March 9. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan, March 9. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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White House Faces Pressure to Intervene Effectively in Yemeni Crisis

Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan, March 9. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan, March 9. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Progressive legislators have put the Biden administration under pressure to work harder on resolving the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where suffering continues to grip the lives of millions enduring the violent upshot of a nationwide coup launched by Houthi militias in 2014.

Criticism is building up despite White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki having reassured US media that resolving the humanitarian crisis and achieving a ceasefire in Yemen topped the list of priorities of Washington’s special envoy for the war-torn country.

According to Psaki, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is expected to discuss humanitarian relief efforts, achieving a ceasefire, and many other key topics with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths in his latest trip to the Middle East.

“A handful of progressive legislators gathered in the Situation Room early Wednesday with national security adviser Jake Sullivan to discuss the war in Yemen,” reported US news website Axios.

Those who met Sullivan included Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Bernie Sanders, multiple sources familiar with the meeting confirmed to Axios, adding that they also spoke by phone this week with Lenderking.

“We’re not going to comment on individual meetings, but we regularly engage with lawmakers on progress towards our commitment to ending the catastrophic war in Yemen,” said National Security Council Spokeswoman Emily Horne, signaling the administration’s willingness to take the legislators’ concerns seriously.

State Department Spokesman Ned Price, for his part, told reporters on Thursday that a senior inter-agency delegation will be traveling over the coming week to discuss several important matters related to US national security and ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.

However, Price stressed that the delegation is not focused on any one issue, especially not Iran.

“Lenderking is, as of today, in Saudi Arabia. He’ll also travel to Oman on this trip. He’s meeting with senior government officials and is always working closely with the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths as part of this,” noted Price.

He added that Lenderking’s discussions are centered around ensuring the regular and unimpeded delivery of commodities and humanitarian assistance throughout Yemen, promoting a lasting ceasefire, and advancing that political process.



UN Appalled by Extrajudicial Killings in Khartoum

A Sudanese army soldier gestures from the back of a vehicle as it drives past damaged cars lying along a street in Khartoum on Thursday (AFP photo) 
A Sudanese army soldier gestures from the back of a vehicle as it drives past damaged cars lying along a street in Khartoum on Thursday (AFP photo) 
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UN Appalled by Extrajudicial Killings in Khartoum

A Sudanese army soldier gestures from the back of a vehicle as it drives past damaged cars lying along a street in Khartoum on Thursday (AFP photo) 
A Sudanese army soldier gestures from the back of a vehicle as it drives past damaged cars lying along a street in Khartoum on Thursday (AFP photo) 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Thursday said he was appalled by reports of widespread extrajudicial killings of civilians in Khartoum following its recapture by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on 26 March.

“I am utterly appalled by the credible reports of numerous incidents of summary executions of civilians in several areas of Khartoum, on apparent suspicions that they were collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces,” said Turk.

He then urged the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces “to take immediate measures to put an end to arbitrary deprivation of life.”

The UN Commissioner said his Office has reviewed multiple horrific videos posted on social media since 26 March, all of them apparently filmed in southern and eastern Khartoum.

“They show armed men – some in uniform and others in civilian clothes – executing civilians in cold blood, often in public settings. In some videos, perpetrators state that they are punishing supporters of RSF,” he said.

The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has been battling the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since April 2023.

Last week the army said it had retaken full control of Khartoum after weeks of attacks on the capital by the paramilitaries, though Daglo said his forces had only “repositioned.”

On Thursday, Sudan's paramilitary said they downed an Antonov military plane, the fourth this month, belonging to the Sudanese army near Al Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State.

The RSF published a video that they said showed the plane wreckage. It said in a statement that the plane dropped “dozens of barrel bombs on innocent civilians in Al Fasher and other Sudanese cities.”

Meanwhile, an activist group said that the RSF killed at least 85 people in one week during attacks south of the capital Khartoum.

“For the seventh consecutive day, the Janjaweed militias continue their violent attacks on villages... west of Jebel Awliya, resulting in the deaths of more than 85 people and the injury of dozens,” said the Sudanese resistance committee, referring to the RSF by the name of its precursor.

Bashir’s Deputy Released

Also on Thursday, Sudanese authorities released former First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh and Youssif Abdel Fattah, a former minister.

Saleh and Abdel Fattah are among some 30 officials who are standing trial for their involvement in the June 30, 1989 coup, that brought former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir to power.

SAF leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan issued the decision based on a judicial ruling that stated the two men need to receive treatment due to deteriorating health conditions.