Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 15:36:54 +0200
Yemen's Houthis advancing as UN mulls sanctions
UN Security Council committee says ready to consider "targeted sanctions"
against individuals or groups that "threaten the peace, security or
stability in Yemen"
Written by : <http://www.aawsat.net/author/arafat-madabish> Arafat Madabish
on : Wednesday, 17 Sep, 2014
Sana'a, Asharq Al-Awsat-The UN Security Council said on Tuesday it was
considering imposing sanctions on individuals and movements involved "in
armed conflicts to obstruct the political transition in Yemen," amid
worsening violence between the rebel Houthi movement and the Yemeni
government.
Intense clashes broke out between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni military,
backed by allied tribesmen, in and around the capital Sana'a on Tuesday,
resulting in the death of at least 12 people with dozens more reported
injured.
The latest clashes between the Shi'ite Houthis and the central government
represent an escalation of weeks of protests that have engulfed the capital
after Houthis took to the streets to protest the cutting of fuel subsidies.
Yemen's President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi has offered to appoint a new
government and partially roll back the subsidy cuts, but the Houthis
continue to insist that subsidies be fully restored, and on a bigger role in
government.
Reuters reported that at least 22 people were killed over Monday and Tuesday
in fighting between Houthi fighters and allied government forces in the
Al-Jawf province, northeast of Sana'a. Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat
that the conflict spread to the village of Al-Qabil, in Sana'a's northern
suburbs. Eyewitnesses reported that medium weaponry was used in the
fighting, with heavy explosions being also reported.
The skirmish between Houthi rebels and allied government forces reportedly
broke out after Houthi fighters advanced into Al-Qabil, taking control of
the village's entry points and exits. The Houthi fighters also reportedly
attacked a military convoy in the region.
Elsewhere in Yemen, Houthi fighters advanced into Yemen's Western
Al-Hudaydah province seeking to gain control of the strategic port of Midi,
local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN Security Council's Sanctions Committee
said: "Committee members expressed their readiness, with a sense of urgency,
to consider proposals for the designation of individuals or entities as
subject to the targeted sanctions measures."
Although the committee's Panel of Experts are scheduled to present their
final report in February 2015, due to "the pace of developments on the
ground," the panel in its second phase of work would focus on "specific
lines of inquiry and focused case-studies in relation to individuals or
entities engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace,
security or stability in Yemen."
The panel's first phase of work had focused on "the violence and armed
conflict in the north of the country, including the fighting in and around
Amran city, and the activities of the Houthis, Islah, the tribes, and other
factions involved in the conflict," the statement added.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday confirmed its full support for President Hadi, and
his efforts to "foster Yemeni security, stability and unity."
In a statement from Riyadh, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdulaziz
Bin Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz stressed Riyadh's ongoing commitment to Yemen's
national security.
<http://www.aawsat.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Houthi-Friday-prayers.jpg>
Shi'ite Houthi protesters perform Friday prayers during a funeral procession
of fellow protesters who were killed in the recent clashes with Yemeni
police in Sana'a, Yemen, on Friday, September 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Hani
Mohammed)
Shi'ite Houthi protesters perform Friday prayers during a funeral procession
of fellow protesters who were killed in the recent clashes with Yemeni
police in Sana'a, Yemen, on Friday, September 12, 2014. (AP Photo/Hani
Mohammed)
(image/jpeg attachment: image005.jpg)