Ending the war in Yemen

Saudi Arabia continues to deliver humanitarian aid to Yemen, and works to reach a political solution to the crisis and support the legitimate authority. Meanwhile, Iran continues to provide weapons to Houthi militias and prolong Yemeni suffering. This is clear to Yemenis and all stakeholders following developments in Yemen with concern. Yet those observing from afar, listening to sources that provide misleading and inaccurate information, insist on presenting things from a slanted perspective.
The Houthis pose a threat not only to Yemen but also Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region, as well as the waterways of international trade. The Houthis have fired around 300 ballistic missiles, 90 of them at Saudi Arabia. They have also targeted ships in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemeni ports under their control, and blocked humanitarian aid from reaching people.
The spokesman of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), Dr. Samer Al-Jetaily, earlier this month said 65 relief ships were blocked at Hodeidah and Mileif ports by the Houthis, while 567 relief-loaded trucks were stopped from providing assistance to distressed people. Moreover, 363 relief trucks were confiscated by the Houthis, who also looted 6,315 food baskets meant for civilians.
 

The recent emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) denounced Iran’s interventions in Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and called on it to stop policies that fuel factional and sectarian conflicts.

Maha Akeel 

As for the cholera outbreak, Al-Jetaily said the numbers are exaggerated as reports are about “suspected cases” and not confirmed. Nevertheless, the international community should make sincere efforts to deliver medical aid and health care to the hundreds of thousands of people at risk of diseases due to malnutrition, lack of clean water and sanitation, and severe shortages of medicine and doctors.
The Saudi ambassador to Yemen, who is also director of comprehensive coordination of humanitarian affairs in Yemen, and spokesman of Arab coalition forces supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, spoke last week about the humanitarian needs of the people, and the delivery of shipments and oil derivatives to all Yemeni regions, including Sanaa and Hodeidah.
They said humanitarian contributions amounted to more than $900 million, including direct and indirect aid to displaced Yemenis, and joint programs with Yemen’s government worth more than $8 billion.
The coalition has adopted a comprehensive humanitarian plan that includes delivering four mobile cranes for the World Food Programme (WFP) and installing them in Hodeidah port. The aim is to increase the capacity of Yemeni ports and to make the country capable of receiving imports amounting to 1.4 million metric tons per month.
The comprehensive operation also includes establishing an airlift in Marib to deliver key humanitarian aid and medical assistance by C-130 aircraft carriers through three border crossings from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. These are some of the measures taken by Saudi Arabia and the coalition to support Yemen’s economy and alleviate its people’s suffering.
Meanwhile, the recent emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which consists of 57 member states and represents the Muslim world, strongly condemned the Houthis’ use of Iranian-made ballistic missiles to attack Riyadh and other Saudi cities, including the holy city of Makkah.
The meeting condemned Iran, which did not attend, for its violation of the CFM resolution adopted in November 2016 following the missile attack on Makkah, and its violation of UN Security Council resolutions by continuing to arm the Houthis, particularly with ballistic missiles.
The meeting also denounced Iran’s interventions in Bahrain, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and called on it to stop policies that would fuel factional and sectarian conflicts, and to abstain from supporting and financing terrorist groups.
The region is boiling with sectarian tensions and factional conflicts. Continuing to support these factions based on pathetic sectarianism, when they should all be considered Muslim, will only increase regional instability and insecurity. The different groups of one nation should consider what is in the best interest of their country as the utmost priority, and come together for dialogue and peace.
Any war will ultimately end, and the end of a war is always reached by sitting at a table and agreeing on terms. So why not get to that point sooner rather than later, to minimize human suffering and destruction? In Yemen, as in other places, the longer the crisis continues, the greater the risk of the country becoming a safe haven for terrorists and violent militias.

• Maha Akeel is a Saudi writer.
Twitter: @MahaAkeel1