GRIFFITHS CALLS FOR CALM AMID YEMEN FIGHTING
▶ UN envoy says Aden violence could spur Al Qaeda and ISIS resurgence
Martin Griffiths, the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, yesterday said greater efforts than ever before were needed in the pursuit of peace.
He blamed recent violence in Aden for increasing the chances of a resurgence of Al Qaeda and ISIS.
The remarks underscored a volatile situation in Aden, with Mr Griffiths criticising the Southern Transitional Council’s offensive in the city 10 days ago, during which they took control of government buildings.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have called for dialogue between pro-government Yemeni groups and the STC, with a meeting planned in Jeddah being welcomed by the UN, the US and other leading world powers.
But in new clashes overnight STC forces took full control of bases belonging to pro- government special forces and military police in Abyan, a southern governorate. The commanders handed their positions over to the STC yesterday and left with their men.
Mr Griffiths said the situation was fluid and changing with great pace, but he described the latest fighting as provocative and said it proved the pressing need for talks to restore calm.
“The fragmentation of Yemen is becoming a stronger and more pressing threat,” he told the Security Council, via video link from Amman.
“This makes our efforts in the Yemeni peace process more urgent than ever. There is no time to lose.
“We cannot underestimate the risks that these events pose for the future of the country.”
Aden is the temporary base of Yemen’s government, a status conferred after Iranian- backed Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in late 2014.
Scores were killed and hundreds wounded in the clashes in Aden earlier this month, spurring the calls for de- escalation from the Arab Coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, that is fighting the Houthis.
But Mr Griffiths said recent actions were unacceptable.
“A continuation of this current situation is simply untenable. At this time ... it is difficult to know where events will lead us.”
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, met in Makkah last week to discuss the situation in Yemen.
In a statement afterwards they reaffirmed their call for parties involved to “prioritise dialogue and reason in the interests of Yemen and its people”.
On Sunday, STC leader Gen Aidarous Al Zubaidi said he was committed to a ceasefire in Aden and to taking part in Saudi- brokered peace talks with the government of Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
The government also affirmed “its commitment to respect the call of the Saudi-led coalition to a ceasefire”.
STC spokesman Saleh Alnoud later said the group was looking for an equal seat at the table in peace talks, a rejoinder to the group’s exclusion from
the UN- brokered summit in Stockholm last December that led to a limited ceasefire agreement in the southern port city of Hodeidah. Only representatives of the Houthis and Mr Hadi’s administration took part.
Mr Griffiths did not elaborate on whether the UN would extend a hand to the STC but he said: “I am grateful to all those member states, including members of this council, who have called for restraint and dialogue. In particular, I welcome the efforts of the [Arab] coalition to restore calm and the efforts exerted by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to convene a dialogue in Jeddah. It is essential that the meeting takes place in the very near future to prevent a further deterioration.”
Instability in Yemen is growing, the special envoy said, citing how Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has in recent years managed to take control of the capitals of Abyan and Hadramawt, another southern governorate, for significant periods of time.
“During the past month alone we have seen attacks by Aqap and ISIS in Aden, Abyan and Al Bayda,” Mr Griffiths said.
“Further fragmentation of the security sector in Aden and other areas may allow these activities to expand and gather momentum once again, with a terrible impact on the civilian population and prospects for future stability.”