Indications of the Houthi militia's insistence on thwarting the truce
English - Thursday 19 May 2022 الساعة 09:19 am
Sana'a, NewsYemen, a special report:
Less than two weeks from the date of the end of the UN truce, which took place after the approval of the Yemeni legitimate government and the coalition on the one hand, and the Houthi militia, the Iranian arm in Yemen, and is supposed to end at the end of this May. It is great to return to the battles that did not stop even in light of the current truce on some fronts.
Since the beginning of the truce, militia leaders have made statements claiming that there have been attempts not to implement the armistice terms agreement, taking advantage of the delay in implementing the clause opening Sanaa International Airport to flights before the obstacles that stood in the way of implementing this clause were removed, so that the Houthis found themselves. In front of the need to implement the clause on opening roads and lifting the siege on cities, at the forefront is the opening of the Hawban crossing in the city of Taiz, whose closure leads to the biggest humanitarian tragedy inside Yemen. Where the residents of the most populous governorate are deprived of freedom of movement and move outside Taiz easily, and they find themselves forced to waste a great deal of time moving after it only required them for a quarter of an hour.
Oil derivatives and prisoners.. The beginning to thwart the armistice
Prior to the announcement of the UN truce at the beginning of last Ramadan, the crisis of oil derivatives in the militia-controlled areas had reached its climax, and the price of a 20-liter gasoline cylinder reached forty thousand riyals, while the price of a 20-liter diesel cylinder reached 50 thousand riyals. Immediately after the implementation of the truce and the entry of oil derivatives ships to the port of Hodeidah, citizens in the militia-controlled areas expected that the official price of gasoline and diesel would be reduced from what it was at the time, an amount of (16,200) riyals, which the militias claimed was due to taxes imposed by the legitimate government on derivatives merchants. . On the contrary, the militias have created new justifications and allegations that enable them to sell oil derivatives that entered through the port of Hodeidah at prices that exceed the prices they are supposed to be sold at. Where the price of a cylinder of gasoline is currently 20 liters 12,000 riyals after a reduction of 600 riyals from the first price after the entry of ships after the entry into force of the truce.
Sources in the oil company, which is under the control of the militias, told NewsYemen that the militia leaders were behind the attempt to fabricate a derivatives crisis in Sanaa after Eid al-Fitr, as a test for the possibility of returning to it after the end of the armistice date at the end of May. She emphasized that the Houthi leaders believe that the availability of derivatives deprives them of hundreds of millions of riyals that the black market has earned, which has become the most prominent feature of the era of their militia coup rule.
The militias’ backwardness regarding the issue of oil derivatives did not stop at the fact that they continued to be sold at black market prices, which was an indicator, according to citizens and observers. Until they did not want to solve the problem of the black market, which they run and get fantastic profits from the proceeds. It was also a negative message to the public opinion that the leaders of the Houthi militia had no sincere intention to proceed with the success of the truce and to build on it later towards the start of political negotiations towards achieving peace.
The position of the militias came from the Arab coalition’s announcement of the unilateral release of 163 Houthi prisoners. And the claim that those released by the coalition are not among its prisoners, with the exception of only five, provides further evidence that the militias are investing the humanitarian file to achieve political goals. Observers considered that the militias' refusal to open Sanaa airport to receive them and their refusal to acknowledge that they were former fighters with them was sufficient to provide further proof to the coalition, the legitimate government and internal public opinion that the militias' position on the truce was nothing but a mere circumvention of international pressures and an attempt to satisfy the Omani mediator.
Conditions for opening roads... a new indication of Houthi intentions
Despite the concessions made by the Arab coalition and the legitimate government in terms of implementing the provision of opening Sana’a airport and opening some roads that were closed, such as the Hodeidah-Hais-Taiz road, by the National Resistance forces there with the aim of making the truce succeed and preparing for its extension, the militias met this with more intransigence in The issue of opening roads, as its leaders, headed by the leader Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of the so-called Supreme Political Council of Militias, began announcing new conditions related to the issue of lifting the siege on Taiz.
Political sources close to the Houthi militia described these conditions as an attempt to set new obstacles to thwart the possibility of renewing the current truce sponsored by the United Nations, which is supposed to end at the end of this May, and an indication that the militias will continue their arbitrary policies against citizens even in their areas of control, including the people of Taiz governorate who live under Houthi rule and those who suffer from the continued closure of the Hawban road and the siege imposed by the militias on the city.
The sources added to NewsYemen: What the leader, Muhammad Ali al-Houthi, announced is the same previous positions taken by the militias with each truce that was reached and a repetition of the same policies aimed at turning each truce into a mere warrior’s break for the militias, during which they can rearrange their cards and return to war stronger each time.
The latest evidence..a military and security position that wants war
In a related context, security sources close to the Houthi militia revealed to NewsYemen that there is a strong position on the part of the military and security leaders of the militias that does not reject even the truce currently in force, but rather wants to thwart it in any way, for fear that it will be extended after the end of its date at the end of this May.
The sources said that several meetings were held for Houthi military and security leaders following the visit of the Swedish UN envoy Hans Grundberg to Sana'a last April. Their discussions focused on expressing the conviction of these leaders. The truce is a temporary tactic by the coalition and the legitimate government aimed at absorbing international pressure to end the war in Yemen. And that the Presidential Command Council, to which power was transferred, is a council of war, and therefore it is necessary to continue preparing for war in various ways and means, especially the continuation of the mobilization of fighters.
The sources indicated that the visit of the UN envoy, which lasted for three days, was mostly with military and security leaders of the militias, and the political leaders were not allowed to hold any meeting with the envoy except for an orphan meeting of the members of the so-called political council subject to the militias with the envoy, which includes leaders in the Sana’a conference, in addition to that The envoy, after that meeting, was keen to hold a one-on-one meeting with Houthi leader Mahdi al-Mashat, which lasted for a longer period of time than his meeting with members of the so-called Political Council, considering this as another indication of the true Houthi intentions to deal with the armistice as a warrior's rest only.
The sources quoted Houthi security leaders as saying: Their acceptance of the truce was nothing but a mere satisfaction with the mediation of the Sultanate of Oman, and that preparations for the aftermath of the truce must be stronger than it was, especially in terms of the battle to overthrow Marib, in which they failed several times despite the size of the sacrifices made by them. .
She concluded by noting that the militias' position on the truce is a real indication of their rejection of the process of ending the war and achieving peace in general. Given that it is keen to maintain this situation, which enables it to rule over the largest geographical area and population density in the north of the country. Without having any responsibilities presented to people whose tragedies are met with allegations of aggression, and that any opponent of it in light of this situation gives it the right to arrest, try and execute him on allegations of treason. Not to mention the corruption and wealth achieved by the militia leaders as a result of this situation, which makes them impede any peace efforts, as well as the close connection of its leaders who control the militias’ decision with Iran and its Revolutionary Guards. Hence, the impossibility of accepting any settlement unless it is supported by the Iranian regime, or at least serves its interests.
