Yemen Presidential Council Accuses Houthis of Seeking to Renege on UN Truce

A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)
A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)
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Yemen Presidential Council Accuses Houthis of Seeking to Renege on UN Truce

A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)
A woman makes bread at a camp for displaced people in al-Ghaidha, Yemen April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. (Reuters)

The Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) in Yemen accused on Monday the Iran-backed Houthi militias of seeking to renege on the two-month United Nations truce.

The truce entered its fourth week on Saturday a day before the first flight out of Sanaa airport was delayed due to Houthi violations.

The truce had called for the operation of two flights per week to and from Sanaa airport from Amman and Cairo. It also called for a nationwide ceasefire, the possibility of opening crossings and ending the Houthi siege on Taiz, and allowing 18 fuel ships to unload at Hodeidah port.

The PLC met under Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to discuss a number of national issues and ways to overcome challenges.

The gatherers noted the Houthis' obstruction of the Sanaa flight that was scheduled for Sunday, reported the state news agency Saba.

They held the militias responsible for compounding the suffering of the Yemeni people living in areas under their control. They accused the Houthis of creating problems so that they could later renege on the truce and hinder the UN-led peace process.

The PLC reiterated the government position that is keen on easing the suffering of the people, without exception.

The council held another meeting that was attended by Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and Aden Governor Ahmed Lamlas to discuss the plan to develop the interim capital.

They addressed electricity, water, sewage, education and health files that had been put on hold for various reasons.

The PLC approved the formation of a presidential committee, headed by the prime minister and including concerned ministers, to devise the development plan for Aden and improve services.



International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Meets with Syrian Leader in Damascus

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
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International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor Meets with Syrian Leader in Damascus

This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
This handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency SANA, shows Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan in Damascus on January 17, 2025. (SANA / AFP)

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan made an unannounced visit Friday to Damascus to confer with the leader of Syria’s de facto government on how to ensure accountability for alleged crimes committed in the country.

Khan's office said he visited at the invitation of Syria’s transitional government. He met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, the leader of Syria’s new administration and the foreign minister to discuss options for justice in The Hague for victims of the country's civil war, which has left more than half a million dead and more than six million people displaced.

Assad, who fled to Russia in December, waged an oppressive campaign against anyone who opposed him during his more than two decades in power.

Rights groups estimate at least 150,000 people went missing after anti-government protests began in 2011, most vanishing into Assad’s prison network. Many of them were killed, either in mass executions or from torture and prison conditions. The exact number remains unknown.

The global chemical weapons watchdog found Syrian forces were responsible for multiple attacks using chlorine gas and other banned substances against civilians.

Other groups have also been accused of human rights violations and war crimes during the country’s civil war.

The new authorities have called for members of the Assad regime to be brought to justice. It is unclear how exactly that would work at this stage.

Syria is not a member of the ICC, which has left the court without the ability to investigate the war. In 2014, Russia and China blocked a referral by the United Nations Security Council which would have given the court jurisdiction. Similar referrals were made for Sudan and Libya.

Khan's visit comes after a trip to Damascus last month by the UN organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria. The International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

The group's head, Robert Petit, highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before they are lost.