The three-month suspension of fighting in Yemen has been grossly misused by Al Houthi rebels to rearm and resupply their fighting force in order to restart the Yemeni civil war. This week Al Houthi shells killed seven civilians across the border in the southern Saudi city of Najran, and other ballistic missiles were intercepted.
The Saudis have been right to express their fury at the attacks and their regret that the talks have failed. “They were deceiving people by this negotiation, to reorganise their force, resupplying their forces and getting back to fighting. They don’t have any political agenda,” said the Saudi military spokesman.
The resumption of fighting is a tragedy for the people of Yemen, who face a resumption of the terrible shortages of food, water, and basic essentials like medical supplies. The people of Sana’a have already faced bombardment, and as fighting spreads across the region again, it will only get worse.
The grim Saudi spokesman was clear that the fight is a matter of vital national security, and Saudi Arabia will do “whatever it takes” to continue to prosecute the war and bring Al Houthis to respect their national government and submit to the rule of law.
It is all too clear that Al Houthis have been resupplied by the Iranians. This blatant interference reaffirms the Yemeni and Saudi determination to stop Iranian interference in Arab states and manipulation of violence to their nationalistic and sectarian benefit. It is a sad reality that Iran has failed to stop seeking to destabilise the region, and this fact has to be faced and dealt with.
This is why the Saudi leaders of the coalition are right to restart fighting and right to seek to pursue the war until it comes to an end. It may be possible to find a compromise with a group dedicated to rebuilding their nation-state, and willing to play an active role within their own nation, but it is not possible to compromise with external interference whose sole purpose is destabilisation and increasing chaos
It is now clear that the fighting will resume and the people will suffer. A better way forward is for Al Houthis to repent of their military adventure, and agree to genuinely seek to implement a Yemeni solution to the civil war. It is to be hoped that the coalition’s success in the resumed war will drive them to the negotiating table.
