These have been difficult times for all of the people of Yemen over the past 18 months, where what little certitude existed has been cast aside in the chaos of rebellion. The events since the overthrow of the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi by Al Houthi rebels have meant that the international community was forced to intercede, and the Saudi Arabia-led coalition has done so with the blessing and backing of the United Nations Security Council.
On Saturday, a strike at a funeral hall in Sana’a killed scores of people. Any loss of life and injury is always regrettable, and that it occurred at a funeral makes the incident even less palatable.
The exact circumstances of this incident have not been fully explained nor investigated, yet there is no shortage of accusations and allegations from those who support Al Houthis. Iran has never been slow to supply arms, advice and media support to its Al Houthi underlings.
The international coalition working to restore peace in Yemen has never shunned its onerous responsibilities when it comes to supporting its Arab brothers.
That task has been made all the more difficult by Al Houthis’ deliberate targeting of aid deliveries and shipments, acts that only serve to increase the suffering of every Yemeni.
Any impartial investigation — unfettered by bias or agenda — that is conducted by competent and technologically savvy experts into the circumstances of the strike is to be welcomed. What doesn’t help, however, are spurious accusations based on hysteria, propaganda and political interference.
If there is a lasting lesson from this incident, it is that peace is a necessity now as a precursor to any long-lasting solution. Setting up an Al Houthi government at the expense of all others isn’t helpful — and it is illegal, and as long as the rebels act in concert with Iran, the people of Yemen will endure suffering.
For two months this past summer, Al Houthi representatives attended talks on the future of Yemen. Throughout that time, they dragged their feet, deferring and delaying, unwilling to act constructively.
Through brokered ceasefires, Al Houthis and units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh refused to relinquish their heavy weaponry. Only UN-backed elements can restore peace and provide the stability and security necessary to rebuild Yemen. And as long as there are heavily armed and lawless groups within, Yemenis will never find peace.
