Arab-backed Yemeni forces claim end of Houthi rebellion in sight

Yemen's exiled government believes it will soon liberate the country's third largest city as it slowly claws control away from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

Arab-backed Yemeni forces claim end of Houthi rebellion in sightArab-backed Yemeni forces claim end of Houthi rebellion in sight

Arab-backed Yemeni forces claim end of Houthi rebellion in sight

Political instability has plagued the transitional government since 2011.

 

While analysts believe the turmoil is far from over, they say there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Fierce clashes again erupt in Taiz as Saudi-backed Yemeni troops struggle to keep the Houthis at bay.

 

Yemen's third-largest city has been one of the worst hit by six months of fighting.

 

It has suffered widespread damage and high casualty rates.

 

But Yemeni foreign minister, Riyadh Yaseen, has vowed to liberate Taiz very soon.

 

"We assure you that I feel that security and stability and the liberation of Taiz will be soon. I am more confident that Taiz will return soon, a few more steps and Taiz will be liberated, god willing."

 

The Houthis, after they overran the capital Sana'a unopposed in September last year, widened their control to several Yemeni provinces earlier this year.

 

A coalition of nine Arab states' forces then launched a fierce air campaign in March against the Houthis and their allies, who are loyal to the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

 

However Mr Saleh now says he is ready to quit his position as head of Yemen's largest party to facilitate an end to the fighting.

 

"I am ready to let go of the General People's Congress convention after a year from the stopping of the war, and if the war ceases now, I would leave the convention and give a statement to stop the war and I would leave the convention. And the convention will be held after the end of the war. I am compromising but it is not working."

 

Speaking about possible talks to end the crisis, the Yemeni foreign minister said the government will not join any dialogue unless the Houthis accept a UN-sponsored resolution.

 

"We cannot go to a political dialogue that gives the militias who have used force and violence the right to impose their opinion by force. This cannot be accepted by law and logic. We are talking now about the implementation of the resolution and this is what was agreed upon in the United Nations."

 

Dr Abdulkhaleq Abdulla is chairman of Arab Council for Social Sciences, a regional non-government organisation.

 

He believes the coalition has come a long way to bring Yemen to the verge of a resolution.

 

"The UAE, Saudi Arabia has managed to prevent a potentially destabilising Yemen, a Yemen that could have been another Syria, another Iraq. The coalition so far managed to liberate Aden and all of south of Yemen. They also liberated some interesting places, some strategic ones such as Marib - which is an oil and gas ridge."

 

But Dr Abdulla says the most difficult task lies ahead: liberating the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.

 

"It is a heavily armed place, a sharply divided society. It is not an easy job, but having said all of this, what has been done in the past six, seven months has been incredible, taking these key cities and nearly half of Yemen so far. So give and take, maybe by the end of the year hopefully the coalition and the Yemenis will be able to liberate Sana'a too."

 

But the coalition has also come under mounting criticism over the civilian death toll in its campaign.

 

More than 5,000 people have been killed in six months of fighting.

 

Yemeni officials believe the worst is behind them.

 






Share

4 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world