Escalation in the Red Sea Prolongs Yemen’s War

منذ سنة

Yemen’s war ended in April 2022 after warring parties agreed to a UN-brokered truce

  Since then, international and regional efforts have continued to seek common ground for peace in Yemen, aiming to end Yemeni disagreements and form a unified vision for Yemen’s future

  However, peace efforts in the country are currently jeopardized due to military developments between the United States and the Houthi group in the Red Sea

 In December 2023, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, issued a statement indicating that the Yemeni parties had pledged to adhere to a set of measures encompassing a comprehensive ceasefire and improved living conditions to pave the way for the resumption of the political process and the implementation of a binding roadmap aimed at ending the war

 Just as Yemenis held their breath in anticipation of a peace agreement to end the war, the country has plunged back into a new phase of conflict, jeopardizing peace efforts and threatening their complete collapse

 The United States and the United Kingdom have been conducting airstrikes against targets controlled by the Sana’a government (Houthi group) since January 11, 2024

  These strikes have hit radar sites, drone and missile launch platforms, and military sites in the capital Sana’a, Saadah, Hajjah, Hodeida, and Ta’iz

 Many researchers and political observers believe that this development could derail peace efforts in Yemen and push the country towards a new spiral of violence and conflict

 Despite targeting Houthi military sites, the US airstrikes appear to have fallen short of eliminating the group’s entire military capabilities

This raises concerns about the potential for further strikes in Yemen as the US pursues its objectives

Such actions could have detrimental consequences for the prospects of peace in the war-torn country

  Fayad Al-Numan, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information in the Yemeni government, expressed his concern to “Almushahid

net” regarding the detrimental impact of the US-UK airstrikes and Houthi piracy on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on the UN-brokered peace efforts

 Al-Numan contended that the Houthi group’s reckless actions, including the recruitment of additional fighters and assaults on international shipping routes, are likely to undermine diplomatic and United Nations backing for the Yemeni peace process

 “The recent escalation in the Red Sea and the military strikes by the US and UK have emerged as significant barriers, impeding the progress of the UN envoy’s endeavors in Yemen and postponing any meaningful discussion of a peace process for the foreseeable future,” he added

Nasr Addin Amer: The Sana’a government is committed to the agreed-upon roadmap and will not back down unless the other party reneges on its commitments

 Nasr Addin Amer, head of the Saba news agency affiliated with the Sana’a government, believe that the peace process in Yemen can be achieved, and it is not necessarily linked to recent developments in the Red Sea

  In an interview “Almushahid

net”, Amer said: “No developments should affect the peace steps in Yemen, and any compromise on the peace file to pressure us to stop our operations in support of the Palestinian people will not succeed, and we have measures in place to deal with that if it happens

” Amer confirms that the Sana’a government is committed to the agreed-upon roadmap and will not back down unless the other party reneges on its commitments

 Hizam Al-Asad, a member of the Ansar Allah Political Office, describes the US and UK attacks as “international crimes” and a “blatant and flagrant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty

” He told “Almushahid

net”: “These hostile acts are aimed at puttingpressure on the Yemeni people and deterring them from showing solidarity and support for the people of Gaza who are being subjected to the most heinous Zionist crimes and massacres

The US and UK attacks are a threat to the security and stability of Yemen and the region, and endanger the security and safety of international navigation

”Abdullah Ghanem Al-Qahtani, a Saudi researcher specializing in security and strategic studies, believes that the various tensions in the Arab region and the Red Sea do not serve the stability and peace of the region

Speaking to “Almushahid

net”, Al-Qahtani said: “The US and UK strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen will lead to escalation in the region and will not lead to achieving security and stability for navigation in the Red Sea

They will not contribute to ending the crisis in Yemen, but rather will increase the difficulty of reaching a comprehensive political solution

” Al-Qahtani points out that the skirmishes and verbal clashes between the Houthis and the Operation Prosperity Guardian coalition in the southern Red Sea will create new challenges and obstacles to any internal and regional Yemeni understanding, increase tensions in the region, and make it difficult to achieve peace

 He added: “The Houthis must realize that Yemen needs stability, good relations with its neighbors, attention to development, and peacemaking and security for Yemen before anything else

Their continued escalation of violence will only lead to more suffering for the Yemeni people

” Dalia Oraiqat, an associate professor of diplomatic studies and conflict resolution at the Arab American University, said that the US and UK strikes on Yemen are aimed at achieving political objectives, such as prolonging the war and diverting attention from Israeli war crimes

She added that these strikes are also aimed at stirring up the emotions of Western audiences by talking about Yemen and promoting misleading narratives

 According to her, the US strikes are also aimed at provoking some Arab players in regional countries, raising tensions in the region, and putting pressure on Arab countries to sign normalization agreements with Israel as part of the “deal of the century” or a deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel that could be reached under the pretext of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and preventing a third world war

 “The US strikes are harming peace efforts in the region because they lead to more violence and tension, and they also contribute to spreading the biased Western narrative about Yemen as the ‘axis of evil’ in the region,” she noted

 Oraiqat concluded her remarks, saying: “The US strikes on Yemen are a dangerous step that leads to more violence and destruction in the region, as violence leads to violence, and it takes us away from the wisdom of using diplomatic and peaceful tools to resolve conflicts in the 21st century

” This story was first published in Arabic on 22 January 2024ليصلك كل جديدالإعلاميون في خطرمشاورات السلام كشف التضليل التحقيقات التقارير