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LONDON: Yemen\u2019s vice president on Thursday called for stronger international action to restore the country\u2019s state institutions and counter the Houthi militia, warning that instability in Yemen threatens security and global trade through the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait.<\/p>\n
Addressing the UN General Assembly, Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir said 12 years of conflict have deprived an entire generation of Yemenis of stability and opportunity.<\/p>\n
He accused the Houthis of rejecting repeated peace initiatives while escalating their military activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a Yemeni child, 12 years are his entire childhood,\u201d Bawazir said, describing a generation born amid \u201cwar, hunger, fear and weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the Yemeni government has engaged positively with international and regional peace initiatives and made \u201csignificant concessions\u201d to end the conflict, but that the Houthis have responded with \u201cintransigence\u201d and used periods of humanitarian calm to strengthen their military capabilities.<\/p>\n
Bawazir said the latest Saudi-Omani roadmap for peace has been accepted by the Yemeni government but rejected by the Houthis, whom he accused of escalating in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab \u201cto serve an Iranian agenda that goes beyond the interests of Yemen and its people.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the militia has turned one of the world\u2019s most important waterways into \u201ca tool of pressure and bargaining in Iran\u2019s confrontation with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
He welcomed what he described as the firm approach adopted by the US toward the Houthis, saying it has disrupted their calculations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Yemeni government appreciates President (Donald) Trump\u2019s clear understanding of the only language this terrorist group comprehends \u2014 the language of resolve,\u201d Bawazir said.<\/p>\n
He criticized what he described as an insufficiently decisive international response, saying UN \u201cresolutions alone don\u2019t make peace. International resolution without a political will to implement it doesn\u2019t stop wars.\u201d<\/p>\n
He warned that Houthi threats to maritime navigation extend beyond Yemen and \u201care taking hostage the entire global economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bawazir said protecting commercial shipping could address the consequences of Houthi attacks but not their underlying cause. \u201cEnsuring security at sea begins with eliminating the source of the threat on land.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stressed that Yemen\u2019s internal stability and maritime security are closely connected, saying: \u201cRestoring the Yemeni state and restoring the security of Bab Al-Mandab are inseparable.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting this strategic waterway is a shared regional and international responsibility which Yemen can\u2019t shoulder alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said it is also the responsibility of economies dependent on secure supply chains, energy security and freedom of navigation.<\/p>\n
The UN has said recent Houthi advances and fighting along Yemen\u2019s western coast have increased concerns over maritime security and international trade.<\/p>\n
Bawazir commended Saudi Arabia\u2019s support for Yemen and its initiative to establish a multinational maritime defense coalition, saying collective action is needed to protect navigation, deter threats and combat smuggling.<\/p>\n
He called on the international community to stop the flow of weapons and technology to the Houthis, strengthen Yemen\u2019s national institutions and support its economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we seek from the international community today isn\u2019t a perpetual management of crises, but a strategic partnership that promotes security, stability and development for the benefit of Yemen, the region and international peace and security,\u201d he said, adding that his country remains committed to peace but will not accept the Houthi takeover of state institutions as a permanent reality. \u201cThere\u2019s no peace with arms outside state authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reaffirmed Yemen\u2019s support for the Palestinian people\u2019s right to freedom, dignity and an independent sovereign state, while condemning the continued detention of UN personnel and humanitarian workers by the Houthis.<\/p>\n
He concluded by portraying a future Yemen as a potential regional partner and trade bridge linking the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa and the wider world, saying Bab Al-Mandab should remain \u201ca bridge between peoples, a route for commerce and a gateway to peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n