The Yemeni government reiterated willingness to work with the new UN envoy, Hans Grundberg, to revive peace efforts with the Houthi militias, based on the terms of the approved political solution.
The government also accused the Iranian-backed militias of causing the deaths of 2,000 children they had recruited to fight in the recent battles of Marib.
This came during meetings held by Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak with US and other officials on the sidelines of the current session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Official sources said that bin Mubarak met on Friday in New York with the US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, to discuss recent developments and peace efforts.
They added that the meeting touched on opportunities to revive the political process to end the war in Yemen, in light of the escalation in Marib and Houthi attempts to advance in the governorates of Shabwa and Abyan, in addition to their continued targeting of infrastructure and civilians in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
“Restoring the peace process in Yemen begins with pressure on the Houthi militias to stop their ongoing military aggression and to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that paves the way for addressing humanitarian issues and resuming political consultations,” Saba news agency quoted bin Mubarak as saying.
The Yemeni minister also met in New York with the US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, with whom he discussed recent developments, as well as opportunities and challenges to reach a comprehensive and just peace in the country.
Official sources reported that bin Mubarak briefed the diplomat on the current challenges facing Yemenis as a result of the repercussions of the Houthi coup, human rights violations and extrajudicial killings, and the continued violation of the ceasefire in Hodeidah, in addition to intransigence in addressing the situation of the Safer oil tanker.
The Yemeni minister pointed to his government’s “keenness to cooperate constructively with the UN and US envoys.” But he underlined the need to learn from the failures of the past stage, calling on the international community to exert maximum pressure on the Houthi militias.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, Marwan Noman, said that the recent attack on the city of Marib caused the death of nearly 2,000 children recruited by the Houthis.
The statements of the Yemeni official came in a speech he delivered at the high-level meeting on the protection of children in armed conflict during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was held under the auspices of the European Union, Belgium and Niger on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
Noman revealed that the militias have recruited more than 35,000 children since 2014, 17 percent of whom are under the age of 11, adding that 6,729 children were still actively fighting on the Houthi fronts.
