ADEN // Ambassadors from 18 nations have accused the former Yemeni president and his rebel allies of blocking a peaceful resolution to the conflict after they formed a governing council in Sanaa.
Talks in Kuwait were put on hold after the Iran-backed Houthi fighters and the party of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president, rejected a UN peace plan and announced late last month the appointment of a 10-member governing body to run Yemen.
The move was condemned by the UN and sparked an increase in fighting with the Saudi-led coalition resuming air strikes against the rebels in support of the internationally recognised government. Houthi rebels have increased rocket attacks into Saudi Arabia and increased attacks in the contested city of Taez.
The group of 18 ambassadors, which includes the GCC countries, the permanent UN Security Council members, Germany, Egypt and Turkey, said the “unconstitutional and unilateral actions in Sanaa” taken by elements of Saleh’s party, the General People’s Congress and the Houthis were “making the search for a peaceful solution more difficult”.
“These actions only increase the divisions in Yemen and will not address the political, economic, and security problems that are causing such widespread suffering throughout the country,” the ambassadors’ statement said.
On Saturday the Houthis and Mr Saleh, who was forced from power by Arab Spring protests, organised a rally in Sanaa in support of the council. The Houthis seized the capital in 2014 forcing Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and his government to flee to the southern port of Aden. The Arab coalition, which includes the UAE, joined the conflict in March 2015 to restore Mr Hadi to power.
Since the three months of peace talks in Kuwait were put on hold this month fighting has escalated, particularly in Taez which has become the main front line.
On Saturday, Houthi rebels sent military reinforcements to the west of the city as pro-government forces attacked the east, recapturing Al Mukalkel military camp, one of the main bases in the city.
Moa’ath Al Yaseri, a leader of the popular resistance in Taiz city, said: “The Houthis fled from the camp and the surrounding areas towards Al Hawban area, while clashes are continuing in both of the western and eastern fronts.”
Mr Al Yaseri added said about 50 Houthi fighters had been killed during the last two days in Taez.
Meanwhile, the city’s main hospital appealed for donated blood to treat the people who arrived in the last two days.
On the border with Saudi Arabia, a Saudi civilian was killed and six were wounded when a Houthi rocket hit the city of Narjan, the Saudi civil defence agency said.
Video footage posted on social networks showed two blazing buildings in the city centre. More than 100 civilians and soldiers have been killed in southern Saudi Arabia by Houthi rocket strikes. Coalition air strikes were reported across the country.
US secretary of state John Kerry will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to discuss the Yemen conflict. The US military has cut the number of intelligence advisers directly supporting the coalition’s air war in Yemen, the US Navy said on Saturday.
The reassignment of personnel, around June, came because “there was not the same sort of requests coming in for assistance” from the Saudis, Fifth Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey said.
*With agencies
