Yemen Reviews Options to Counter Houthi Escalation, Vows Punishment

The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)
The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)
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Yemen Reviews Options to Counter Houthi Escalation, Vows Punishment

The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)
The Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden. (Saba News Agency)

Yemen’s government vowed to punish Houthi militias for stepping up terrorist activities in the governorates of Marib, Shabwah and Taiz. This came during a meeting in the interim capital Aden on Monday.

Late last week, Houthis staged an assassination attempt targeting the governor of Taiz. Moreover, the militia’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, threatened another year of naval and aerial terror attacks against Yemenis and neighboring countries using Iranian drones and missiles.

At the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, the Yemeni cabinet reviewed local and foreign developments considering the Houthi escalation. It also discussed issues related to improving public services and the economy.

“The cabinet extensively discussed available options for dealing with the military escalation of terrorist Houthi militias in the Hareb district in Marib, Merkhah district in Shabwa, and other fronts,” reported the official Saba News Agency.

The meeting, according to Saba, also tackled dealing with Houthi crimes and repeated attacks on civilian targets and public roads.

Warning Houthis against their hostile behavior, the cabinet said that the group’s crimes will not go “unpunished” and that it is unacceptable for Yemenis to remain hostage to crimes and violations of terrorist militias.

The cabinet advised against betting on the militias yielding to peace and said that the Houthis’ history affirms that the group will not submit to reconciliation efforts.

Additionally, the cabinet reiterated that the sole solution to the crisis in Yemen lies in restoring the state and ending the Houthi-waged coup.

Abdulmalik briefed cabinet members on the latest developments at the political, military, security, economic and service levels.

The premier stressed the importance of everyone shouldering their responsibilities and the need to redouble efforts from ministries and relevant authorities to overcome exceptional challenges and focus on implementing tasks that affect the lives and livelihood of citizens.



Turkish Deputy FM Visits Port Sudan to Discuss Mediation with UAE

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)
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Turkish Deputy FM Visits Port Sudan to Discuss Mediation with UAE

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)
Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran (Turkish Foreign Ministry/X)

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran is set to arrive in Port Sudan, the temporary Sudanese capital, on Saturday to hold talks with Sudanese officials.

The visit aims to present proposals from Türkiye for facilitating mediation between Sudan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a role Ankara had previously pledged to undertake.

Duran’s visit follows a December 13 phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. During the call, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s willingness to mediate between Sudan and the UAE to resolve tensions and halt the ongoing war.

A diplomatic source from the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday that the Turkish official’s visit focuses on advancing Türkiye’s mediation initiative. The source noted that Duran is expected to deliver a document containing dialogue proposals to the Sudanese government, which will later be shared with the UAE.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously issued a statement welcoming Ankara’s initiative and expressed readiness to coordinate with Ankara to end the conflict in Sudan. However, the source emphasized Sudan’s clear stance on mediation, reaffirming its commitment to implementing the terms of the Jeddah Declaration agreed upon between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on May 11, 2023.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf described the Turkish diplomat’s visit as significant, highlighting the strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations. He emphasized that it reaffirms recent communications between their leadership and bolsters relations between the peoples of Sudan and Türkiye.

“The visit underscores Türkiye’s interest in developments in Sudan and expresses Turkish solidarity with the Sudanese people,” the official Sudanese news agency (SUNA) quoted Yusuf as saying.

In a speech marking Sudan’s Independence Day on Tuesday, Al-Burhan expressed readiness to engage in any “genuine initiative” that could end the conflict. At the same time, he reiterated his commitment to preparing for a decisive military victory in favor of the Sudanese people.

Al-Burhan firmly rejected any return to pre-April 15, 2023 conditions and dismissed the possibility of coexisting with the RSF and its backers.

“There is no place among the Sudanese people for these killers, criminals, and their supporters,” he stated.