Yemen urges Washington to increase pressure on Houthi rebels

Yemen’s government is calling on the US to intensify political pressure on Houthi rebels and accelerate efforts to end the war, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak said yesterday.

The rebels stormed Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, removing the internationally recognised government and starting a civil war.

The fighting has continued despite several rounds of talks and peace initiatives by the UN and international community, with the rebels currently waging an offensive on Marib, the government’s sole stronghold in the north.

“The Houthis will not come to the table without diplomatic pressure, more economic sanctions and more military pressure from our side,” Mr Mubarak said on the sidelines of the annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain.

Yemen needs more “support to ensure a functioning and strong government on the ground, which can pave the route for peace processes and force the Houthis to the negotiating table”, he said.

Mr Mubarak praised former US president Donald Trump’s administration for including three Houthi leaders on the global terrorist list.

President Joe Biden’s administration lifted the designation in February to enable aid to be delivered the country, which is facing famine.

“The administration of former US president Donald Trump listed the Houthis as a terror group and the recent decision to remove the group from this had a negative impact because it was interpreted by the Houthis wrongly,” Mr Mubarak said.

The Iran-backed rebels stormed the US embassy compound in Sanaa this month and detained Yemeni staff working there. After the raid, the US imposed sanctions on senior Houthi military officer Saleh Alshaer for “unlawful tactics”.

“This is a typical Houthi way of sending a message,” Mr Mubarak said.

The rebels were trying to “feed propaganda of a socalled war between them and America”, he said.

“The Houthis have interest to keep this war continuing because they are benefiting from it, as it’s a revenue-generating system for them.”

But for Yemen, the war “must stop today and not tomorrow”, Mr Mubarak said.

Gas-rich Marib has recently become the war’s focal point.

The main city hosts more than two million people who fled fighting elsewhere in the country.

“There is a huge need for international actors to do more. People are being evicted from their cities and villages to the centre of Marib,” Mr Mubarak said.

“The Houthis have their military illusions. They think by capturing Marib they can have the upper hand in the political process after, but that’s not the case.”