Displaying items by tag: Houthi rebels

On 9 January, the US and UK navies intercepted 21 drones and missiles fired in the southern Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels - their 26th attack on global maritime trade routes within the past seven weeks. The navies claim to have successfully shot down 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile. The UN security council has voted to demand an immediate halt to the attacks, calling them a threat to regional peace and security. The resolution also called for the immediate release of the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship with ties to an Israeli company which was seized by the Houthis in November. Because of the attacks, 20% of the world's container ships are now avoiding the Red Sea and using the much longer route around the southern tip of Africa instead.There are hints that the USA and UK are considering military action against the Houthis: see

An agreement to restore relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran has opened the possibility of peace talks between Riyadh, which backs Yemen’s official rulers, and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. Saudi and Houthi representatives met with Omani mediators in Yemen last week to negotiate a permanent ceasefire. Pray for further progress. The UN estimates that 4.5 million Yemenis are displaced and two-thirds of the population are in dire need of humanitarian aid. In eight years Yemen has endured terrible suffering from bombs and mines causing needless deaths. The war is fuelled by Saudi Arabia, Britain, America and the United Arab Emirates - and also Iran, which has supplied funds and weapons to Houthi rebels. There are miles of negotiations and diplomatic manoeuvrings to go, but to reach this point is a tremendous tonic for Yemenis who have seen war plunge their beautiful and naturally resource-rich country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

As Yemen prepares to move forward with a power-sharing government, two explosions at Aden airport were designed to annihilate the new government officials disembarking from their plane. Saudi Arabia had brokered a peace deal between Houthi rebels (controlling much of northern Yemen) and the Yemeni government. The explosions also threatened the UN effort for a nationwide cease-fire to prevent the coronavirus spreading. It did not injure any of the new cabinet, but killed 26 people and injured 50 more; the death toll is expected to climb as more victims succumb to their injuries. The government had just forged an alliance with southern separatists. This latest attack threatens a very tenuous situation plagued by years of war and hunger. An explosion was also heard at the presidential palace where cabinet members, the prime minister, and the Saudi ambassador had been taken for safety. Pray for officials to apprehend all those responsible, and for a successful resolution of the conflict between the Hadi government and Houthi rebels.