Will Houthi militia violations end the Yemeni truce?

The Yemeni government has called on the United Nations to take serious action to deter Houthi terrorist militia violations of the truce, in an indication of the government’s readiness to engage in a decisive battle against the militias after the announcement that the truce will completely collapse.

A government official source, quoted by the official Saba news agency, called on the UN and its special envoy to Yemen to take serious and real action to deter continued and escalating Houthi violations and breaches of the truce from the very first moments of its entry into force.

The source pointed to the escalation of the blatant Houthi attacks, which culminated in the targeting of the security department of ‎ Taiz by air yesterday, which resulted in the injury of 10 people, including a number of civilians, and material damage and panic among children and families celebrating Eid Al-Fitr in the neighboring garden.

The Houthis’ repeated breaches of the UN truce put the UN and the international community to a real test of their seriousness in pressuring Houthi militias to respond to peace efforts.

The source explained that the continuation of the Houthi terrorist attacks and its failure to respect the humanitarian truce sponsored by the United Nations from the very first moment of its entry into force, and its failure to implement the obligations under it, foremost of which is the lifting of the siege on Taiz, represent the approach and behavior of the militias and their supporters in undermining all chances of peace and a political solution to the Yemeni crisis, stressing the need to immediately lift the siege on Taiz province under the terms of the truce.

In a hostile escalation that threatens to blow up the United Nations truce that has been in place in Yemen since April 2, Houthi militias yesterday attacked the city of Taiz with missiles and drones, amidst a governmental warning to the militias from undermining the chance for peace that the United Nations is trying to build on towards a permanent cessation of fighting.

Pro-Iranian militias targeted civilian sites with drones east of Taiz city, wounding at least 10 people, amid panic among residents celebrating Eid in a public park.

While the bombing targeted the city’s police headquarters, it drew government and human rights condemnation. Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak described it as a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian law and the UN truce.

Bin Mubarak tweeted: “The militias targeted the Taiz Security Directorate by air traffic, injuring 10 people, causing material damage and panic among children and families celebrating Eid al-Fitr in the nearby park”.

The Yemeni minister warned militias of the danger of missing the chance for peace represented by the existing truce, saying that “The truce is a window to peace, and the militias will be responsible for undermining this opportunity”.

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar al-Eryani condemned in the strongest terms the targeting of the Garden City Park and the security administration building located in Taiz city by a drone and a number of missiles, which left 10 citizens injured, and created fear and panic among women and children who frequent the park.

Al-Eryani said in a statement, according to the Yemeni news agency Saba, that the Houthi militia’s bombardment of residential neighborhoods and public parks in the city of Taiz, to assassinate the joy of Eid Al-Fitr at the peak of the UN traffic, is a blatant violation of the UN truce, and an affirmation of its disregard for the lives of civilians, its deep hatred for the people of the province, its disregard for the international community, and its attempts to undermine the efforts to calm down.

The Vice President of the Presidential Command Council in Yemen, Brigadier General Tareq Saleh, said that the Council supports “the efforts made by brotherly and friendly countries to make the truce a success and to consolidate it as a step towards a comprehensive ceasefire, despite the fact that the Houthi militias have not made any concessions and do not abide by the terms of the truce declaration and their continued violations of the ceasefire on various fronts”. He accused the militias of exploiting the truce to mobilize and move vehicles and heavy weapons to the fronts in southern Marib, and continuing to impose a brutal siege on Taiz.

The Houthi attack has sparked widespread anger among human rights groups, including targeting civilian sites near Garden City Park, al-Amal Cancer Hospital, al-Ahly Sports Club, and the Faculty of Arts at Taiz University.

Human rights organization Mayyun described the attack as deadly and said Houthi militias carried out it with Drones carrying explosive projectiles, targeting a public street next to a park crowded with children and women.

In a statement, the organization warned against the collapse of the UN truce, due to what it described as a flagrant violation, saying: “This is not the first incident in the city of Taiz, as it was preceded by similar mortar attacks on residential neighborhoods that caused civilian casualties”, he said.