Yemen’s Houthi militia refuses to open Taiz roads

Yemen’s Houthi militia refused a proposal made by the UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg to open the Taiz crossings and other roads, calling into question the country’s recently renewed UN-brokered truce.

The Houthi militias continue to violate the UN truce on various fronts, according to a 

statement issued by the Yemeni army last week. The report indicated that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia committed 115 violations of the UN truce on the fronts of Hodeidah, Taiz, Ad-Dhalea, Hajjah, al-Jawf, and Marib. It asserted that the army continued to adhere to the ceasefire following the directives of the political and military leadership.

According to the Yemeni army, the government forces thwarted a Houthi attempt to infiltrate armed groups towards military sites northwest of Marib, forcing them to retreat. The Houthis also attacked army positions with artillery, various calibers, and booby-trapped drones, killing two soldiers and injuring seven others.

The Yemeni army accused the militias of deploying drones and transporting human reinforcements and combat equipment to various fronts, including west of Marib and some in the Taiz axis. Army spokesman, Brigadier General Abdo Majali, said the group committed more than 1,700 field violations in 23 days. 

Furthermore, the Speaker of the Arab Parliament, Adel al-Asoomi, renewed his warnings of the imminent catastrophic risks of the leakage, sinking, or explosion of the Safer oil tanker. Asoomi said the Houthis are responsible for any environmental, humanitarian, and economic disaster resulting from the tanker's oil spill due to the militia's intransigence and refusal to allow a UN team to board it.

The Speaker stressed the need for immediate and urgent international action to pressure the militia to stop its manipulation of the issue and using the tanker for political blackmail. He asserted that the UN team should be allowed to board the tanker, assess its technical situation, and unload the oil. Asoomi warned that Safer had become a real threat to international shipping, urging the UN to take the necessary measures to prevent oil leakage and transfer it to a safe place.

Yemen’s seven-year conflict has killed more than 150,000 people and displaced millions of civilians, according to the UN. Warring parties in the impoverished country renewed earlier this month a two-month truce that began in April.