RIYADH: The Yemeni government said on Wednesday it is continuing to provide exceptional permits for ships to deliver fuel for civilian use in Houthi controlled areas.
During a meeting with US envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking, Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak said his government is issuing the permits “despite the Houthi militia looting the official revenues of fuel shipments to finance its war efforts instead of paying the salaries of employees.”
Bin Mubarak also highlighted the seriousness of the situation of the Safer oil tanker, which is at risk of breaking up and causing an ecological disaster in the Red Sea, Yemen’s Saba news agency reported.
“This is because the Houthi militia rejected all solutions and proposals and have not allowed a UN technical team to access the tanker to assess its condition and maintenance,” he said.
Bin Mubarak and Lenderking discussed efforts to end the six year war.
I discussed today with #USEnvoyYemen Linderking the latest developments & efforts to bring peace in Yemen. We agreed that a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire is urgently needed to alleviate humanitarian suffering of all Yemenis.#Yemen pic.twitter.com/U80h0d7FWM
— Ahmed A. BinMubarak (@BinmubarakAhmed) June 2, 2021
Bin Mubarak told Lenderking it was important to continue to support the Yemeni government and complete the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, especially with regard to security and the military.
The US envoy called on the Houthis to stop all military operations in Marib, where the militia launched an offensive in February.
Lenderking said the US will continue to support the legitimate government and the unity, stability and security of Yemen.
Bin Mubarak also met with UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths to discuss international efforts aimed at stopping the war, where he said the "international community must send clear messages and exert maximum pressure on the Houthi militia to force it to comply with the peace requirements, to stop shedding Yemeni blood and destabilizing the region."
They also talked about the military and humanitarian situation in the Marib.
I discussed w/ @OSE_Yemen efforts to bring peace in Yemen & stressed the importance of maximum pressure on Houthis to comply with the requirements of peace & stop destabilizing the region, warning of the danger of Safer oil tanker, as a result of #Houthi rejection of UN mission. pic.twitter.com/e8L2jHuAl2
— Ahmed A. BinMubarak (@BinmubarakAhmed) June 2, 2021
Meanwhile, Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar Al-Eryani said there had been a high death toll of child soldiers recruited by the Iran-backed Houthis in recent battles in Marib.
“The field reports and the Houthi militia’s confessions through its media outlets confirm the significant increase in the number of children killed, who were thrust into suicide attacks by the militia on various fronts in the Yemeni province of Marib, since it established camps to lure and recruit them under the guise of ‘summer centers’,” Al-Eryani said.
He warned of “a genocide perpetrated by the Houthi militia against thousands of children aged between 10 and 16, after luring them from their homes and schools and brainwashing them with extremist ideas.
Elsewhere, Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyed Badr Al-Busaidi held talks on Yemen with his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde, during her visit to the sultanate.
