2022 politically... important changes with a fragile peace and a dangerous Houthi escalation

English - Saturday 31 December 2022 الساعة 07:56 am
Aden, NewsYemen, exclusive:

During the year 2022, Yemen witnessed many important changes in the political situation after years of stagnation and inactivity, following the ruling of the Islah Party, the local branch of the Brotherhood in Yemen, over the political and military decision of the internationally recognized legitimate government.

The beginning was with the announcement by the United Nations, through its special envoy to Yemen, on the second of April of the start of a humanitarian truce during which a cease-fire, military escalation, and the start of negotiations on three main points: opening Sana’a International Airport, allowing the entry of oil derivatives to the port of Hodeidah, and opening the main roads.  The siege imposed by the terrorist Houthi militia on the city of Taiz nearly eight years ago was lifted.

The entry into force of this truce was followed by a change in the hierarchy of the legitimate authority, through the formation of the Presidential Leadership Council consisting of eight members headed by Dr. Rashad al-Alimi and the membership of representatives of the political and military forces present on the ground.

The formation of this council contributed to limiting Islah’s control over the decision of legitimacy, and it expanded the powers of the forces present on the ground militarily and politically, such as the Southern Transitional Council, the forces of the southern giants, and the national resistance, which are forces that engage in almost daily confrontations with the terrorist Houthi militia, especially the forces of the giants, which within ten days managed to liberate  and purging the districts of Bayhan in Shabwa from the Houthi militia, which took control of it in September 2021, in agreement with the Islah Party, which was ruling Shabwa at the time.

During the year 2022, the Presidential Leadership Council tried to make the humanitarian truce a success, despite its fragility, by implementing its provisions, which included opening Sana’a airport and allowing oil to enter Hodeidah port, as well as bypassing field violations committed by the Houthi militia on various fronts, in return for its intransigence.  The Houthi militia refused to respond to all proposals related to opening the main roads and lifting the siege, even partially, on the city of Taiz, and insisted on opening rugged secondary roads leading to Taiz, while continuing to close the main roads linking the governorates.

Despite this intransigence, the Southern Transitional Council and the Joint Forces on the West Coast - the most prominent components of the Presidential Leadership Council - announced on July 7, 2022 the opening of the main roads between the governorates and areas liberated and occupied by the Houthi militia unilaterally, as a gesture to alleviate the suffering of citizens' movement, but the militia insisted  On its position and refused to allow the passage of any travelers through these roads.

On July 15, Iran's arm announced its refusal to extend the humanitarian truce for the second time, as it was about to expire on August 2, and argued that it represented a shocking and disappointing experience that could not be repeated, but international pressure forced it to acquiesce, especially since it was the most prominent beneficiary of it.

On August 2, the United Nations announced the agreement of the Yemeni parties to extend the humanitarian truce for the second time for another two months, with a commitment to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible.

However, the continued intransigence of the militias did not allow any progress to be made in the negotiations, especially as they insisted on not lifting the siege on Taiz under the pretext that they were not besieged, and categorically refused to open the main roads, which represented a setback for the efforts of the United Nations.

On October 2, the United Nations announced the failure to extend the armistice for the third time, despite the expansion of negotiation points, which included a comprehensive ceasefire and the expansion of the number and stations of flights departing from Sana'a Airport.  As well as easing restrictions on ships entering the port of Hodeidah, as well as paying the salaries of public sector employees in militia-controlled areas.

The United Nations held the Houthi militia responsible for the failure to extend the truce with its impossible conditions, which it continues to put forward, referring to its demand to pay the salaries of employees in the areas it controls from oil and gas revenues only without sharing the revenues of the port of Hodeidah, which are estimated at hundreds of billions per month.

Despite the militia's refusal to extend the armistice, the legitimate government continued to implement its provisions through the continued operation of Sana'a International Airport and the flow of oil derivatives through the port of Hodeidah.

In conjunction with announcing the failure to extend the truce, the Houthi militia launched threats in early October to target companies operating in the oil and navigation sectors located in the liberated areas, thus marking the beginning of a new military escalation that had never been witnessed in the previous years of war.

The militias also launched armed attacks on the positions of the southern forces in Al-Dhalea, Yafaa and Karish, and tried to infiltrate the army positions in Taiz and Ma'rib.

On October 18, the Houthi militia began its new escalation by targeting the Nashima oil port in Shabwa with an explosive drone, and repeated the attack on the same port the next day.

On October 21, Iran's arm bombed the Al-Dhaba oil export port in Hadramout, while trying to export an oil shipment.

After each bombing, the militias claim that they are protecting the country's wealth from looting and that they will not stop until the salaries of employees in the areas under their control are paid from oil and gas revenues, while multiple political sources confirmed that the militias are demanding their share of these exports to stop their terrorist operations.

On October 22, the National Defense Council issued a decision to classify the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, in response to its military escalation and targeting of oil ports, and directed the government to start procedures for implementing the decision.

On November 14, the government announced, during an extraordinary meeting, the approval of the first package of urgent government procedural policies in the legal and economic tracks, to implement National Defense Council Resolution No. 1 of 2022 , regarding the classification of the Houthi militia as a "terrorist group".

On November 21, Iran's arm repeated its terrorist attack on the port of Al-Dhaba, which stopped the export of crude oil and had a negative impact on the economic situation in the liberated areas.

The Houthi militia continues to send threats, taking advantage of the legitimate government's insistence on the continuation of the unilateral truce and the lack of any real response so far to its recent escalation.