Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, in an interview with the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet published on Tuesday, emphasized the tenuous nature of the truce in Yemen. He stated that the situation remains highly precarious, with the possibility of hostilities resuming between the conflicting parties at any given moment.
"The Houthis are clearly gaining strength and uniting their troops, so we cannot rule out the possibility of the war resuming at any moment. The current calm is extremely fragile," stated the Yemeni foreign minister, while discussing the situation in Yemen, where an armed conflict between the government and the Iranian-backed Shiite group Ansar Allah has been ongoing since 2014. Additionally, he noted that in 2015, an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in the conflict in support of government forces.
Commenting on the data from international organizations regarding the reduction in the number of conflict-related casualties in Yemen last year, the minister pointed out that "these figures only account for direct armed clashes." He emphasized that the data "does not include those who perish due to starvation, prolonged sieges, attacks on infrastructure or explosions in minefields." In fact, he clarified that the numbers of casualties from these other factors have even increased.
According to Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, "there has been a misconception about the war in Yemen in recent years." He believes that "the international community viewed Yemen merely as a battleground for the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which, in his opinion, is incorrect." As a consequence, the root causes of the problem were not adequately addressed, and efforts were primarily focused on responding to humanitarian crises rather than resolving the underlying issues.
The foreign minister pointed out that the Houthis never reaffirmed their commitment to honor the latest UN-brokered ceasefire agreement last year. He described it as a "gentleman's agreement," implying that their compliance was not assured. However, despite the challenges, he remains hopeful and believes that maintaining optimism is crucial. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak emphasized that Yemen has always been open to dialogue and compromise.
The foreign minister expressed his approval of the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, hoping that it would have a positive impact on achieving peace in Yemen. However, he raised concerns about Iran's ongoing supply of weapons to the Houthis, indicating no visible change in this matter.
"We also desire the normalization of relations with Iran. We don't view Iranians as enemies. Nevertheless, for this to work, it's essential that they refrain from imposing their own system on other countries. We have one condition: respect for our sovereignty," emphasized Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Bkar6190/Creative Commons 4.0
Based on materials from TASS