Yemen’s Houthi rejects accusation of threatening ongoing truce

This handout photo provided by the Ansarullah Media center on Sept 1, 2022 shows fighters loyal to Yemen's Houthi group taking part in a military parade titled "Waad al-Akhera" (the Promise of the Hereafter) in the western province of Hodeidah.  (ANSARULLAH MEDIA / HO / AFP)

SANAA – Yemen's Houthi rebel group has rejected the accusation that its recent military parade in the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeidah has threatened the truce in Yemen, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported Sunday.

The Houthi group reiterated that it would remain in support of a "just and honorable peace."

On September 20, ministers and representatives of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Britain, and the United States held a meeting to discuss the situation in Yemen, after which they issued a joint statement to condemn the recent Houthi military parade.

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The countries pledged full support to the ongoing efforts of UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg to extend and expand the truce which is due for renewal on Oct 2, and that all terms of the truce must be fully implemented.

The countries pledged full support to the ongoing efforts of UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg to extend and expand the truce which is due for renewal on Oct 2, and that all terms of the truce must be fully implemented

Earlier this month, the Houthi group held a large public military parade in Hodeidah. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the rebel group violated the UN-brokered 2018 Hodeidah Agreement that stipulated the full withdrawal of the group from the port city.

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Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia stormed several northern provinces and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition that included the UAE, Sudan, and others to intervene in the Yemeni conflict to support the Yemeni government.

Peace efforts discussed

Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, has met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over peace efforts to end the civil war in Yemen, national Yemeni TV reported Sunday.

This handout photo provided by the Ansarullah Media center on Sept 1, 2022 shows an aerial view of a military parade titled "Waad al-Akhera" (the Promise of the Hereafter), attended by senior officials of Yemen's Houthi group in the western province of Hodeidah. (ANSARULLAH MEDIA / HO / AFP)

The meeting took place on Saturday on the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

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The Yemeni leader briefed Guterres on the latest developments in the Yemeni situation and peace efforts.

He also welcomed the role of the UN and the secretary general's efforts to stop the civil war in Yemen and end the suffering of the Yemeni people.

For his part, the UN chief reaffirmed the UN's commitment to supporting the Yemeni government and promised to mobilize necessary resources to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Yemen.

Guterres also confirmed employing all efforts to support the ongoing truce in Yemen and renewing it.

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