ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

UAE says the Houthi rebels have wasted opportunities for peace

abu dhabi — The UAE Cabinet has said operations to liberate Hodeida opens the way for a political process that will bring peace in Yemen.

“While this operation is based on the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and the UN Security Council’s relevant resolutions, which sanctify the legitimate intervention, it also aims to put an end to the hostile practices perpetrated by the Houthi militias and bring stability to Yemen,” a Cabinet statement said.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Gargash said the Houthis are a militia who represent only a tiny fraction of the people of Yemen. “They overthrew the country’s constitutional government and have oppressed and plundered the country since,” Dr Gargash said.

For three years, the Houthis have resisted many opportunities to engage in serious peace talks, and the humanitarian situation has worsened on the ground, he said.

“The security threat posed by the Houthis not only to Yemenis but to Yemen’s neighbours has grown,” Dr Gargash said, adding that the group has used this time to extort money. “They have used their position on Yemen’s west coast to threaten international shipping.”

The minister said if the Houthis keep Hodeida, the war will last a long time and the suffering of the Yemeni people will continue.

“This deadlock must end, and depriving the Houthis of their control of the strategic port, at the Yemeni government’s request, answers the call of the people for freedom from Houthi rule,” Dr Gargash said.

It means that the Houthis will no longer be able to impose their will at the barrel of a gun. —