Calls for Yemeni war to end as troops mass
ADEN: The Saudiled coalition has massed thousands of troops near Yemen’s main port city of Hodeidah, military sources there say, in a move to pressure Iranianaligned Houthi insurgents to return to UNsponsored peace talks.
The United States and Britain have called for an end to the threeandahalfyear war that has driven impoverished Yemen to the verge of famine, raising pressure on Saudi Arabia as it faces a global outcry over the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
The military alliance of Sunni Muslim states led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has deployed forces about 30,000strong south of Houthiheld Hodeidah and near its eastern entrance, procoalition Yemeni military sources said.
‘‘Thousands of Yemeni soldiers trained by the coalition have been sent to the outskirts of Hodeidah in addition to modern weaponry including armoured vehicles and tanks . . . in preparation for a big operation in coming days,’’ one source said.
Residents said the Houthis had also deployed forces in the centre of Hodeidah city, at the port and in southern neighbourhoods in anticipation of an onslaught.
The UN special envoy to Yemen is trying to salvage peace talks that collapsed in September, raising the risk of a renewed assault on the Red Sea city, the country’s main port and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis reliant on humanitarian aid.
Envoy Martin Griffiths welcomed a call by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a cessation of hostilities.
Britain also backed an end to the fighting, which has killed more than 10,000 people, according to the UN. — Reuters