Middle EastFor Yemenis fleeing war, US peace efforts offer only faint hope
Aziz YaakoubiJonathan Landay
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Girls play at a makeshift camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in the oil-producing Marib province, Yemen May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Nabeel al-Awzari
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In the al-Jafeenah camp for internally displaced people outside the Yemeni city of Marib, Jamal al-Jaberi, forced to flee fighting near his home, is counting on the United States to help broker a peace deal and end the seven-year war.
The Yemen conflict has triggered the world s worst humanitarian crisis, and U.S. President Joe Biden has made ending it one of his top foreign policy priorities.
WASHINGTON: The US State Department said on Friday the Iran-backed Houthi group had passed up a “major opportunity” to demonstrate a commitment to peace by refusing to meet with UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in Muscat.
In a statement, the department also charged that the militia were worsening the humanitarian situation in Yemen by continuing to attack Marib.
“Contradictory to their pronouncements regarding the humanitarian situation in Yemen, the Houthis worsen it by continuing to attack Marib and exacerbating dire conditions for already vulnerable, internally displaced Yemenis,” Friday’s statement read.
“There is a fair deal on the table that will bring immediate relief to Yemeni people. The Houthis passed up a major opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to peace and to make progress on this proposal by refusing to meet with UN Special Envoy Griffiths in Muscat especially given the Republic of Yemen Government’s stated readiness to reach an agreement to
Saturday, 1 May, 2021 - 08:00
Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop in Detroit, Michigan, March 9. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid Washington - Muath Alamri
Progressive legislators have put the Biden administration under pressure to work harder on resolving the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where suffering continues to grip the lives of millions enduring the violent upshot of a nationwide coup launched by Houthi militias in 2014.
Criticism is building up despite White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki having reassured US media that resolving the humanitarian crisis and achieving a ceasefire in Yemen topped the list of priorities of Washington’s special envoy for the war-torn country.
Saturday, 17 April, 2021 - 05:15
US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking during his visit to Germany last week. Photo: Press Office for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, US Department of State Washington - Muath Alamri
Washington has condemned the attempted attacks of Yemen’s Houthi militias on the southern Saudi city of Jazan.
“The United States strongly condemns the Houthi complex attacks against Saudi Arabia this week, including the most recent attack in Jazan, which threatened civilian infrastructure,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“These actions by the Houthis perpetuate the conflict in Yemen, now going into its seventh year. As US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking and UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths work side-by-side to promote UN-led peace efforts, the Houthis’ actions are prolonging the suffering of the Yemeni people and jeopardizing these efforts at a moment when there is a commitment from t