Houthis exploiting Stockholm Agreement for military escalation: Yemen’s chief envoy

The Houthis’ stubbornness and continuous war on Yemeni people are the real challenge hindering peace, Yemen foreign affairs minister Mohammad Al-Hadhrami said. (AFP)
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Updated 07 September 2020
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Houthis exploiting Stockholm Agreement for military escalation: Yemen’s chief envoy

DUBAI: The Iran-backed Houthi militia are exploiting the Stockholm Agreement and the ceasefire implemented in Hodeidah to escalate their military presence in other areas of Yemen, the country’s chief envoy said.

The Houthis’ stubbornness and continuous war on Yemeni people are the real challenge hindering efforts of the UN envoy to Yemen, foreign affairs minister Mohammad Al-Hadhrami said during a meeting with German Charge d’ Affairs Jan Krauszer, state news agency Saba New reported.

The Stockholm Agreement, signed on Dec. 13, 2018, by the opposing factions in the Yemen conflict, set out a series of undertakings as a precursor to lasting peace in the strife-ridden country.

We will not accept continuation of this matter, Al-Hadhrami said, and criticized the Houthis for undermining the UN mission supporting the Hodeidah agreement as well as committing numerous ceasefire violations.

Muamer Al-Iryani, the minister of information, meanwhile said the Houthis have adopted Al-Qaeda’s approach to conflict, including setting off bombs against opponents.

“Houthi militiamen demolished three houses in Azoba village of Al-Qorarishi district, Albaidha governorate last Thursday. It is Al-Qaeda’s and Daesh’s approach against the people who resist the terrorist organizations,” said Al-Iryani in a news agency report.

“Since the early days of its emergence Houthi militia has adopt the houses bombing approach to terrify the population under its control. It is the same policy of Al-Qaeda and Daesh,” he said in a statement.


Tunisia court reduces ex-PM’s jail term over terror charges

Updated 13 sec ago
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Tunisia court reduces ex-PM’s jail term over terror charges

  • Last year, the former premier was sentenced to 34 years in prison.
  • An overnight ruling from an appeals court reduced the 70-year-old’s term to 24 years, his defense lawyer Bouthelja said

TUNIS: A Tunisian appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of former prime minister Ali Larayedh by a decade to 24 years after he was found guilty of terrorism charges, his lawyer said Friday.
Since his arrest in late 2022, Larayedh has denied the charges that he helped send militant fighters to Iraq and Syria, and his lawyers have branded the case as politically motivated.
Last year, the former premier was sentenced to 34 years in prison. However, an overnight ruling from an appeals court reduced the 70-year-old’s term to 24 years, his defense lawyer Oussama Bouthelja told AFP.
Larayedh was prime minister from 2013 to 2014. He was a leader in the Islamist party Ennahdha, which briefly governed Tunisia following a popular uprising in 2011 that launched the Arab Spring.
He is a critic of President Kais Saied.
Others prosecuted in the case included former security officials and a spokesman for Ansar Al-Sharia, a group Tunisia designated a terrorist organization in 2013 while Larayedh was prime minister.
The appeals court reduced the sentences of several others in the case, with prison terms now ranging from three to 24 years.
Ennahdha played a key role in Tunisian politics for years before its leader Rached Ghannouchi was hit with multiple prison terms, which include a 22-year sentence on charges of plotting against state security.
Larayedh had already spent 15 years in prison, including 10 in solitary confinement, for plotting against the state under longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled during the Arab Spring.
The UN said about 5,500 Tunisians fought with militant groups including the Daesh in Iraq, Syria and Libya between 2011 and 2016.