Yemen announces an end to the war with Houthi rebels

By Faisal Darem in Yemen
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-02-12

[-/AFP/Getty Images] Yemeni troops have halted fighting with Houthi rebels on all fronts.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced Thursday (February 11th) an end to military operations in the northwestern region of Yemen, beginning at midnight Friday, after the Houthi rebels accepted the conditions set forth by the government to end the war.

The announcement was made during Saleh's meeting with the national committee which includes members of Parliament and the Consultative Council who were tasked with overseeing the implementation of the six demands and the mechanism of their implementation to restore peace.

Saleh, who presided over the committee meeting, confirmed the implementation of the six demands and the restoration of peace in Saada Province. Military operations will cease in all locations out of a desire to maintain peace and stop the bloodshed, he said. The country will start the rebuilding and development process, according to a state television broadcast on Thursday night.

Terms of the agreement include maintaining the ceasefire, removing mines, and withdrawing from strongholds and roadside positions; withdrawing from all districts in Saada and ending interference in the local government's duties; returning all looted Yemeni and Saudi military and civilian equipment; releasing Yemeni and Saudi captives; abiding by the constitution and the law; and pledging not to attack Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Mohammed Abdul Majid Qubati, head of Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Office of the ruling party, the General People's Congress, told Al-Shorfa that "the Houthis have agreed to abide by the timetable for implementing the six demands stated by the Higher Security Committee".

Four committees were formed, consisting of members of the Parliament and the Consultative Council, which will oversee the implementation of the six demands. They are the Sufyan and Jauf Committee, the al-Malahit Committee, the Saada Committee and the Saudi-Yemeni Border Committee, according to Qubati.

Qubati said that "the Higher Security Committee held a meeting last Monday to study [leader Abdul Malik] al-Houthi's response to the implementation mechanism of the six demands. He said he was expecting a declaration ending all hostilities during the last two days, but the truthfulness of the Houthis will be confirmed by their implementation of the six demands, which will become apparent within the next 72 hours".

Qubati commended the decision to end the war and begin the peace process. The next step calls for return of displaced people to their villages and resumption of the reconstruction process.

Qubati said that the surrender of medium and heavy weapons, and withdrawing from the positions and mountains are sufficient enough to prevent a seventh war from happening. The implementation of the agreement will take place within 15 days, including the release of Yemeni and Saudi hostages in exchange for releasing deceived Houthi rebels as long as there are no criminal cases against them," Qubati added.

Hassan Zaid, secretary general of the al-Haq party (one of the Joint Meeting parties) and a former mediator who worked to end the war with the Houthis, said that ending the hostility is essential because of the suffering citizens experienced, particularly the displaced war refugees.

Zaid told Al-Shorfa that "avoiding a seventh war requires both sides to work towards achieving peace and providing the appropriate conditions, which is to restore things back to what they were before the first war broke out in 2004".

"Restoring normalcy will be possible by rehabilitating and returning the youths who joined the war with the Houthis to their studies and their jobs and removing the causes of tension," Zaid said. "There should be a national initiative to provide the appropriate solutions."

Zaid said that "the success of the decision to end the war depends upon regional support for Yemen to rebuild what was destroyed by the war in Saada and the regions affected by the war", hoping that the Houthis "will continue along their path towards peace".

Deputy Interior Minister for Security Affairs, Brig General Muhammad Abdullah al-Qawsi accused northern rebels of violating the cease-fire agreement on Friday, killing a soldier and wounding another in an attack on a police station. But government authorities and rebel leaders both insisted the truce deal still holds, despite minor flare ups.

This is the sixth war the Yemeni government has fought against the Houthi rebels, which started on August 11, 2009. The first war broke out in 2004. This recent conflict took on a regional dimension when the Houthis launched attacks on Saudi soil in November 2009.

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