ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of Yemen on Friday issued a clarification on local reportage of the Saudi-backed Yemen war, dismissing the notion that the conflict is a war between Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
“Some media outlets depict the situation in Yemen as a war between Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” the statement said. “This grave mistake misinforms the public and entails wrong conclusions and biased stances.”
The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi rebels, who toppled the internationally recognised government. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015. Civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, which has killed over 10,000 people and sparked the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and a cholera epidemic.
The statement issued by the Yemen Embassy in Islamabad included the following ‘clarifications’:
- The war is a result of a coup allegedly perpetrated by the ‘Iran-backed’ Houthi militia against the state of Yemen and its people. The militia seized state institutions and confiscated public wealth using violent means “to support their sectarian project”.
- The legitimate Yemeni government “in order to safeguard the Yemeni people from the heinous acts of the Houthi militia, called for the assistance of Saudi Arabia and friendly countries to restore the state and end the coup”.
- The people of Yemen and the government and its allies in the Saudi-led coalition “are standing side by side against the destructive sectarian project of the Houthi militia”.
- The government led by self-exiled President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi “spared no effort peacefully end the war according to agreed upon references locally, regionally and internationally, including United Nations Security Council resolutions (particularly UNSC Resolution no. 2216). However, the Houthi milita rejected all peace and continue waging war against the Yemeni people.”
- The Saudi-led coalition “continue also to exert tremendous efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people by all available means including humanitarian assistance and development projects”.
On Wednesday, in his address to the nation soon after returning from Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Yemen to end their ongoing conflict.
“I will make all-out efforts to get resolved Saudi Arabia-Yemen conflict by acting as a mediator. We will also try our best to play a mediatory role in bringing all the Muslim nations together,” he had said.
