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Britain will urge the UN Security Council to act in the face of the devastating humanitarian crisis in Yemen, marking a radical reversal of British policy and the end of the UK's controversial refusal to call a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels to end the conflict.
Theresa May has been accused of trying to curry favor with Riyadh, one of Britain's biggest arms buyers, when she refrained from supporting a US call for a ceasefire last week and rather supported the "de-escalation" in the country. This is despite the fact that the three-and-a-half year conflict between a Gulf alliance and Iran-backed rebels triggered the world's biggest humanitarian crisis and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said there was now "a window" for a peace agreement. He said that he agreed with Martin Griffiths, UN envoy to Yemen, "that it was time for the Council to act to strengthen the process led by the government. UN". He said that the United Kingdom would finally support a UN resolution aimed at exerting pressure on both sides.
"For too long in the conflict in Yemen, both sides felt that a military solution was possible with catastrophic consequences for the people. For the first time, there seems to be a niche in which both parties can be encouraged to sit down, end the killings and find a political solution that is the only long-term solution to the disaster, "said Secretary for Foreign Affairs to a statement.
He added: "The United Kingdom will use all its influence to adopt such an approach … There is a tiny but real chance that a cessation of hostilities can relieve the suffering of the Yemeni people. This must be the first priority as we seek to put in place a longer term solution. "
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for the cessation of violence in Yemen in order to get the country out of a "precipice" and give the necessary impetus to the negotiations on the end of the war.
Ms. May had however told parliament a few days in advance that if she supported calls for "de-escalation", a national ceasefire would have an impact "that he was supported by a political agreement between the parties to the conflict ". In the spring of 2015, the UK authorized the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia worth $ 5 billion, sparking calls for the end of the arms deals.
The war in Yemen erupted in the spring of 2015 when Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, launched a bombing campaign aimed at overthrowing the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group , which swept the country's control, overthrowing the recognized president Abedrabbo Mansour. Hadi.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict and two-thirds of the 28 million residents of Yemen depend on help to survive, according to the UN, which warned that no less than 13 millions of people could starve.
Aid agencies accused both sides of creating the humanitarian crisis. The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of bombarding civilian infrastructure and preventing the delivery of food and medical supplies due to a crippling blockade of land forces, maritime and air. The Houthis have been accused of bombing aid convoys, intercepting supply chains, laying thousands of antipersonnel mines and besieging pro-government areas.
The regional director of the United Nations Children's Fund said this weekend that the two sides were making it "impossible" for the delivery and distribution of much-needed humanitarian aid, which would lead to famine.
The focus is now on the port of Hodeidah, on the Red Sea, where tens of thousands of Yemeni government soldiers are mobilizing for an expected offensive aimed at taking the strategic city back to the rebels. More than 150 fighters were killed over the weekend on both sides during the fighting that erupted around the port.
Yemenite Ghazi Ali bin Ali, 10, suffering from severe malnutrition, is lying on a bed on the outskirts of the city of Taiz, October 30, 2018 (AFP/ Getty)
A source in the coalition said L & # 39; Independent the Gulf alliance would refrain from taking up arms again in Hodeida if the Houthis came to the negotiating table.
The last round of discussions collapsed in September. However, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis last week set a 30-day deadline for opening new talks.
The source of the Gulf coalition said that they were entering the "final phase" and that if the Houthis refused to participate, the alliance would not hesitate to resume Hodeidah's offensive operations.
"To facilitate the work of the United Nations Special Envoy over the next 30 days, the Coalition will adopt a predominantly defensive stance," the source said. L & # 39; s independent.
"At present, in Hodeida, the coalition is strengthening its position on the ground in terms of protecting troops and means of action and expanding security perimeters. However, if necessary, it will react to the Houthi attacks. We will maintain the ability to quickly renew offensive operations. "
Sources acknowledge that the humanitarian situation in the country is "completely intolerable".
"We are creating a space for the UN envoy to take a quick momentum. The next step is to let the Houthis defuse themselves and engage in new talks in Sweden. "
At the same time, the Houthis have criticized the US calls for peace, calling them "dishonest" because of the resumption of military operations by government forces over the weekend.
"We view military escalation as evidence of the deception of American calls for the immediate cessation of fighting, which is only an attempt by the United States to pose as a neutral mediator then [in fact] the real leader of the war, "Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, chairman of the rebel Interim Revolutionary Committee, said on his Twitter account on Monday.
He added: "The coalition of US-Saudi-Emirati aggressors has launched an intense military escalation to invade the city of Hodeidah. And, making no progress on the ground, he launched airstrikes in residential areas and committed new killings against civilians, "he added.
Aid agencies warned of a devastating humanitarian crisis if the offensive continued.
On Monday, Save the Children said it could put tens of thousands of children in the crosshairs and deliver even more food and medicine to the country where they feel the extreme hunger and the disease kills an average of 100 children per day.
Father gives water to malnourished daughter at feeding center in hospital Hodeida, Yemen (AP)
"Every convoy stuck in port or unable to leave because of the violence means more malnutrition and more children dying needlessly," the group said.
The group added: "The weekend attacks show that what the world's leaders say is irrelevant if it is not supported by concrete actions."
