The legitimate Yemeni government welcomed on Friday United Nations Security Council resolution 2564, renewing its commitment to reach peace that ends the war according to the three references.
In contrast, the Iran-backed Houthi militias rejected the resolution, vowing to continue their offensive in Marib.
On Thursday, the council extended sanctions against actors found to be responsible for impeding the peace process in Yemen. It also blacklisted a Houthi leader for his prominent role in intimidations, systematic arrests, detentions, torture, sexual violence “and rape against politically active women.”
The resolution extended the mandate of the panel of experts monitoring the implementation of sanctions in Yemen until March 28, 2022.
The Security Council strongly condemned the ongoing escalation of violence in Yemen's oil-rich central province of Marib and the continuation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The resolution stressed the need “for de-escalation across Yemen and a nationwide ceasefire.”
It expressed “serious concern at the devastating humanitarian situation in Yemen, including the growing risk of large-scale famine and the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Yemeni Foreign Ministry said Friday that the resolution reflected the international community’s “real and sincere” desire to help achieve peace and end the war waged by the terrorist Houthis.
The ministry held the militias responsible for the suffering of the Yemeni people, the humanitarian disaster they are enduring and for destabilizing the region.
It renewed its pledge to continue to exert efforts to restore security and calm, end the Houthis coup, and achieve peace and national reconciliation according to the three references: The national dialogue, Gulf initiative and Security Council resolution 2216.
The Houthis, meanwhile, rejected Thursday’s resolution.
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, cousin of the Houthi leader, vowed on Friday that the militias will forge on with their war in Marib, claiming that US President Joe Biden and his newly-appointed envoy to Yemen do not have a peace plan.
He also alleged that American experts were in Marib and helping the government wage its battles against the Houthis.
Another Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bakhiti, tweeted that the militias were not concerned with the Security Council resolution, claiming they “have divine instructions from the Quran” to continue the war in Marib.
The Houthis made their statements just hours after they struck Marib with two ballistic missiles. One struck the central part of the city, said government sources. No one was injured in the attack.
The militias are continuing their offensive on the city – now in its third week - from its west, northwest and south.
They have forged ahead heedless of international calls to cease the hostilities and warning that the violence would only exacerbate the humanitarian situation and lead to new waves of refugees.
Amid the unrest, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) called on Friday for “a safe passage for the fleeing civilians. Fighting parties must spare no effort to protect the population caught in the conflict and ease its impact on civilians.”
Insecurity is increasingly hindering the delivery of aid to civilians in Marib, with dire consequences for the most vulnerable among them. The latest clashes are just a few kilometers from Marib city and people had little choice but to flee to relative safety in the urban areas, it said.
