Marib: A Saudi-led coalition pounded Yemen’s Al Houthi rebels on the outskirts of the city of Marib in its push to retake the capital, Sana’a on Thursday.
The dull thud of artillery fire rumbled across the city Thursday but its residents, many armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, appeared unperturbed by the nearby fighting.
Marib is the capital of the largely desert province of the same name. Authorities say the coalition is targeting Al Houthi positions near the key Marib dam and the town of Sirwah, about 40 kilometers west on the road to Sana’a.
The provincial capital itself is under control of loyalists to exiled President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Deputy governor Abdu Rab Ali says 80 per cent of the province is controlled by pro-Hadi forces while Al Houthis control 20 per cent. On Wednesday, a group of ambassadors from 18 countries supporting the coalition met in Riyadh to discuss the latest developments.
During the meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh, the head of the GCC mission in Yemen, Ambassador Saad Al Arifi, welcomed the participants which included Dr Abdul Aziz Al Uwaisheq, Assistant Secretary-General for Negotiations and Strategic Dialogue, Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen, and other officials and ambassadors.
During the meeting, Ould Shaikh Ahmad presented a summary of the latest efforts for reaching a political settlement to resolve the escalating situation there. The British envoy also gave a similar briefing during which he highlighted the UK government’s view, stressing the importance of pushing towards a political solution to deal with the crisis.
The Russian Ambassador to Sana’a, who took part in the meeting for the first time, said his country was urging Yemeni parties to commit to adopt UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015), stressing the importance of group and concerted efforts to push for a political solution in Yemen.
