Abu Dhabi: The Yemeni government has asked the UN Security Council to hold an “emergency” session to discuss the repercussions of the Al Houthi attack in the eastern governorate of Ma’rib, while negotiations between the government and the Houthi group were advancing on Geneva.
In a statement released by the official Saba news agency, the Human Rights Ministry said the Houthi group continues to attack the densely populated Ma’rib governorate with ballistic missiles, without giving details of casualties or losses.
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It called on the Security Council to “hold an emergency meeting to discuss the dangerous repercussions that the Houthi militias pose on the lives of Yemenis in Ma’rib.”
The ministry called “for urgent measures to be taken to prevent genocide and massacres against the local population and members of the tribes.”
It stressed “targeting the Ma’rib governorate exposes 2.5 million Yemeni citizens to imminent danger.”
For weeks now, the Houthis have been attacking the oil governorate of Ma’rib, the last government stronghold in the east of the country, amid warnings of dire humanitarian consequences if the group advances towards the city of Ma’rib.
Geneva Conversations
For their part, the Houthis announced on Saturday that they would hand over all lists of prisoners and detainees that are requested, in talks underway in Geneva for the second day in a row with the Yemeni government.
On Friday, the UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, announced the start of talks between the legitimate government and the Houthi group in Geneva on the file of prisoners and detainees.
These talks are sponsored by the office of the UN envoy and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
On December 13, 2018, the two parties reached an agreement in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, to resolve the situation in Hodeidah governorate in the west, in addition to the exchange of prisoners and detainees on both sides, which add up to more of 15,000.
The implementation of this agreement has stalled, amid an exchange of accusations of responsibility for obstructing it, especially in the file of prisoners and detainees, which both parties highlight the need to resolve because it is a purely humanitarian file.
On Saturday, the “Houthi” group announced the killing of 14 of its militants, including two prominent leaders with the rank of brigadier general, during clashes with Yemeni government forces.
The battles between government forces and the Houthis have intensified since the beginning of August, on several fronts, leaving many dead and wounded on both sides, in addition to the displacement of many families.
