Yemeni Demands to Deter Houthis, Set Time Frame for Renewing Armistice

Houthis during a drone show in Sanaa (AP)
Houthis during a drone show in Sanaa (AP)
TT
20

Yemeni Demands to Deter Houthis, Set Time Frame for Renewing Armistice

Houthis during a drone show in Sanaa (AP)
Houthis during a drone show in Sanaa (AP)

The international community is confident that there are no military solutions to the Yemeni conflict, and there is no alternative to supporting the global efforts to renew the faltering truce, despite Houthi threats and the various attacks on local energy sources and oil export ports.

The Iranian-backed militias are betting on time to obtain new gains at the economic, military, and political levels. However, Yemeni observers believe that a time limit must be determined to reach an agreement to renew the ceasefire.

They indicate that the group seeks to establish its state in the north, which it uses to target the rest of the Yemeni regions and implement Iran's agenda in the area, including threatening regional countries and international shipping routes.

- International Discontent

The growing international anger over the militias' behavior has been noticeable, especially after the recent attacks on oil export ports in Hadhramaut and Shabwa.

The recent tripartite French-US-British statement and the EU statement made it clear that the Western countries are confident that the Houthi militias do not want peace. This prompted them to adopt a new strategy to deal with the group if it continues its terrorist escalation and ignores the calls for peace.

It was also clear from the statement of the British ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim.

Oppenheim warned the militia leaders, describing what the group is doing as a kind of siege with intimidation, recalling that the British role, in particular, and the West in general, aims to end the conflict in Yemen.

- A truce is not the end goal

Yemeni researcher and academic Faris al-Bayl stated that renewing the truce should not be the end goal, even if the international community focuses on that.

During an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Bayl pointed out that the ceasefire seems like a "lifeline" for the UN envoy that saves his face or could be the extent of the UN's solution for the Yemeni crisis.

He noted that it needs to be clarified what the envoy has planned for the post-ceasefire era.

The researcher noted that the armistice was among the confidence-building measures between the parties and the ability to deal with ​​negotiation, indicating that it was only a preparatory measure for what came after.

However, it has become the goal that the envoy wants to reach, and unfortunately for him, it did not succeed, and therefore his efforts are focused entirely on the ceasefire only.

He asserted that the Houthi militia is far from agreeing on anything.

- Houthi tactic

The Houthi intransigence and their escalation are nothing more than a "tactic," according to Yemeni researcher Mahmoud al-Taher.

Taher said in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN envoy will continue with his useless methods without acknowledging or admitting that he did not find a way to reach safety.

Houthis are deliberately keeping him lost, intending to prolong the war, said Taher, adding that the current situation has become of the international community begging for peace, even though they are not worthy of it.

Taher stresses that there should be a time limit for the Houthis' acceptance of the proposals and not negotiating to give the group more time to amend the agreed propositions and obtain new gains.

He cited the negotiations that saw several concessions for the Houthis, which the group uses to pressure the Yemeni tribes and people.

- Time doesn't matter

Contrary to what Taher suggests, Yemeni journalist Abdullah al-Sanami believes that there is no point in setting time limits and that it is natural for international efforts to continue.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN envoy has no choice but to seek a truce and try to convince the militias of it, noting that setting a time frame is not essential to persuade Houthis to renew the ceasefire.

The truce is effective, and all the militias are doing now is improving their negotiating position and their position before their supporters, according to Sanami.

He explains that the international community believes a political solution can solve the crisis, and all its choices depend on the dynamics of the global geopolitical conflict in the region.

- Possible solutions

Yemeni researcher and writer Abdul Sattar al-Shamiri believes that the international community has many possible solutions, including activating previous decisions, which fall under Chapter VII.

He also suggested sanctioning Iran and supporting the coalition that backs legitimacy to activate the military efforts.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Shamiri said he believes that among the possible solutions is granting the legitimacy the confidence to move forward with the military option, assuming it is necessary to reconsider this possibility.

Shamiri asserted that relying on the international community to solve the Yemeni issue has become a losing bet, adding that the UN is not a charity.

Bayl suggested that the international community changes its mechanism in dealing with Houthis, adding that it possesses several tools to pressure the group, including financial prosecution, sanctioning the militia leaders, and restricting their movements.

Taher proposed that the UN envoy must announce his inability to arrange consultations if Houthis' rejection persists, adding that the UN has many tools within its use, such as designating the group as terrorist and forming an international coalition under Chapter VII.

The Security Council has the right to form a global force to deter terrorism, especially since condemnations are not enough to prevent the militia.



UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

UN officials on Monday asked for $6 billion for Sudan this year from donors to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe and the mass displacement of people brought on by civil war.

The UN appeal represents a rise of more than 40% from last year's for Sudan at a time when aid budgets around the world are under strain, partly due to a pause in funding announced by US President Donald Trump last month that has affected life-saving programs across the globe.

The UN says the funds are necessary because the impact of the 22-month war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - that has already displaced a fifth of its population and stoked severe hunger among around half its population - looks set to worsen.

World Food Program chief Cindy McCain, speaking via video to a room full of diplomats in Geneva, said: "Sudan is now the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever."

She did not provide figures, but Sudan's total population currently stands at about 48 million people. Among previous world famines, the Bengal Famine of 1943 claimed between 2 million and 3 million lives, according to several estimates, while millions are believed to have died in the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-61.

Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement said, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and its gravity and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said.

One of the famine-stricken camps was attacked by the RSF last week as the group tries to tighten its grip on its Darfur stronghold.

While some aid agencies say they have received waivers from Washington to provide aid in Sudan, uncertainty remains on the extent of coverage for providing famine relief.

The UN plan aims to reach nearly 21 million people within the country, making it the most ambitious humanitarian response so far for 2025, and requires $4.2 billion - the rest being for those displaced by the conflict.