Al Mukalla: The Iran-backed Al Houthi movement is the most dangerous threat to security and stability in Yemen as they have killed thousands of Yemeni soldiers and mounted a coup against the internationally-recognised president, Yemen’s prime minister said.
In an interview with the Egyptian Al Youm Al Sabaa newspaper, Ahmad Obeid Bin Daghar said that he sees Al Houthis as most dangerous group in the war-ravaged country even more so than Al Qaida or Daesh and his government would intensify military operations until they agree to disarm, exit major cities and turn into a purely political party.
“Al Houthis’ rebellious movement have killed roughly 13,000 soldiers from the army, national guards and security services since 2004 in consecutive six wars,” he said.
Despite vowing to defeat Al Houthi militarily, Bin Daghar said that he does not rule out the possibility of striking a political settlement with them, but he was sceptical given that previous peace talks proved that Al Houthis were unwilling to end their coup.
- Ahmad Obaid Bin Dagher | Yemen’s prime minister
“We do not rule out a political solution, but we will continue to confront them militarily. We do not want to exterminate Al Houthis, as some people think, or to exclude them completely from the political process. Rather, we want them to come to terms with the fact that they have killed Yemenis, and destroyed the country’s economy and infrastructure,” he said.
“We will continue with the military solution until they are defeated. We will not allow them to destroy the republic, displace people, starve them and steal their wealth. They represent only a minority of Yemeni people.”
The prime minister, who has recently departed Aden to the Saudi capital, is among the many Yemeni officials who have demanded that the United Nations lift sanctions on Ali Abdullah Salehs son and the country’s ambassador to the UAE, Ahmad Ali Abdullah Saleh, in order to effectively rally forces against Al Houthis.
“With all due respect to the resolutions, we would like the Security Council to reconsider its sanctions. As a deputy head of the General People’s Congress, I do not support imposing sanctions on any member of the party,” he said.
The prime minister has strongly denied allegations of nepotism and corruption in his government, adding that neither him nor cabinet members have ever appointed relatives to government positions.
Yemeni activists on social media have disseminated names of some of Bin Daghar’s ministers who gave government jobs to their relatives.
Commenting on his government’s achievements in the liberated areas, Bin Daghar said that his government has solved government salary delays, removed accumulated garbage from streets, paid for the treatment of thousands of soldiers who were wounded on the battlefield and built power stations in Aden and Hadramout.
“We also managed to destroy Al Qaida elements who sought to undermine security in Shabwa and Abyan provinces.”
