UPDATE - Yemen calls for international coalition to defeat Houthis, urges UN support for legitimate government

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Yemen called Thursday for the formation of an international coalition to restore stability in the war-torn country and defeat the Houthi group, demanding firm UN action to support the internationally recognized government.

“I call today to form an effective international coalition to restore security in Yemen that would rebuild the institutions of the state, and liberate the country from the clutches of the (Houthi) militias and all forms of terrorist groups,” Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi told the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“Yemen must not be left to fall prey to blackmail and terrorism, because this would mean opening the door to more victims, and this would deliver a blow to the credibility of this (UN) organization and its principles,” he said.

“What we ask from you is not new statements, but firm international action to support the legitimate government as a trusted partner on the ground,” Alimi noted.

He said past years have proven that the policy of conflict management, by offering more incentives, has only brought more disaster and destruction.

“The desired peace cannot be begged, but imposed by force,” he told world leaders, blaming international complacency for emboldening the Houthis to escalate regional threats, attack energy facilities, target shipping lanes, and even abduct UN staff.

Last month, UN envoy Hans Grundberg said that Houthis “arbitrarily” detained at least 11 UN employees in Sanaa and Al Hudaydah in western Yemen, warning that these actions severely hinder broader efforts to deliver assistance and advance peace in the country.

The Houthis are also still holding 23 UN staff previously detained on espionage charges.

Alimi’s appeal comes as Yemen remains in a fragile truce since April 2022, following more than a decade of war between government forces and the Houthis, who took control of Sanaa and other cities in 2014.

The Houthis and Israel have exchanged attacks in the past months amid rising tension over Tel Aviv’s ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, where more than 65,500 people have been killed since October 2023.