Al-Alimi criticizes the Houthi “deception” and affirms: No progress in Yemen peace efforts

Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Command Council, said Tuesday that peace efforts in the country have not made progress on various tracks due to Houthi intransigence.

In a speech to the Yemeni people on the eve of Eid al-Adha, al-Alimi attacked the “misguided approach of the Houthi militias” on the path to peace, saying the group “interprets government humanitarian initiatives to alleviate the suffering of our people in Sanaa and areas under their control as gains and political victories for them”.

“Peace efforts have not achieved any progress so far on various tracks, despite the great and sincere efforts made by our brothers in Saudi Arabia, the UN and US envoys, ” he added.

“The Houthi militias, supported by the Iranian regime, are overriding their interests, with disregard for the suffering of millions of our people at home and abroad,” he said.

“The militias’ annual revenues amount to more than $4 billion, compared to $1.2 billion held by the legitimate government,” he said. “Yet the militias continue to exaggerate the humanitarian situation and waste this huge amount of money in the service of their leaders, at the expense of the suffering of the employees in the areas under their control.”

Al-Alimi referred to the emergency humanitarian interventions of the Presidential Council and the Yemeni government in spite of the difficult economic conditions, calling this a “constitutional and moral obligation”, but the fascist nature of the Houthi militias will not rest until the salaries of all employees are stopped everywhere, and the country plunges into chaos.

Al-Alimi pledged on economic and service issues to find radical solutions to the electricity crisis with the support of our “loyal brothers in the Coalition to Support Legitimacy led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”

“The summer is coming this year, before the completion of emergency projects in the energy sector, but work is under way to secure the maximum number of hours of generation, alongside intensive efforts to change the fuel systems of the entire government electricity grid, and to end corruption in the energy purchased in this vital sector,” he said.

He explained that improvement in the supply of public services depends on the stability of institutions, the internal work of citizens, the perception of their conditions, and the sharing of their due suffering and aspirations.

In terms of public finances, al-Alimi said he expects this month to receive generous funding from Saudi Arabia in support of economic reforms, strengthening the stability of the local currency and reducing the budget deficit caused by militia attacks on oil facilities.

“He also reiterated the need to continue partnership and work with national, regional and global forces to achieve the crucial goal of restoring state institutions and ending the coup of the Houthi militias.”

Al-Alimi’s speech coincided with the return of Houthi escalation, which revealed the premeditated intentions of Houthi militias to turn against the truce agreement in an effort to change the rules of engagement.