Yemen government warns Houthis will undermine peace
The Yemeni government has warned that the Houthi militia will undermine the chances for peace, as it continues to endanger the lives of citizens and refuses to abide by the humanitarian truce.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Human Rights condemned in the strongest terms the continued targeting of civilians by the Houthi rebel militia and the violation of the UN truce, the latest of which was the killing of civilians while they were herding sheep on their farms.
“The Houthi militia’s continued firing of bullets and shells at civilian heads and populated areas is a war crime, a flagrant violation of national and international laws and norms, as well as UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2216, which includes one of its articles protecting civilians and not endangering them”, the statement said.
It is also a clear disregard for all international and regional initiatives aimed at establishing peace in Yemen, the statement said.
The continued endangerment of citizens’ lives by the Houthi militias and their failure to abide by the truce undermine the chances of peace in Yemen and compound the tragedy of citizens in the segregated areas.
It is also an indication of the approach of Houthi militias seeking to forcibly displace citizens from their homes and turn their areas into a theater for terrorist operations and barracks for their members, which could lead to displacement and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.
The statement called on the UN envoy to Yemen and all local and international human rights bodies and organizations to shoulder their responsibilities towards civilians by highlighting these crimes and showing local and international public opinion, and by working to hold the killers and those involved in the Iranian-backed Houthi militia leaders to account.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Houthi sniper assassinated two Yemeni shepherd brothers in the northern province of Dhale, in the south of the country, in the latest crime against civilians and the most serious violation of the UN truce.
Despite a UN humanitarian truce entering its fourth week in Yemen, Houthi militia fire – which amounts to war crimes – has continued to claim Yemeni lives.
The humanitarian truce between the Houthi militias and the Yemeni government came into effect at 16:00 GMT on Saturday, Yemen time, with the first day of the holy month of Ramadan on April 2, amid continuous violations by the militias.
