U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking, condemned the recent Houthi escalation in the provinces of Marib, Shabwa, and Al-Bayda, denouncing the significant Houthi siege on the Al-Abdiyah district that endangers 37,000 individuals of potential genocide. This statement came during a virtual call today with Marib Governor Sultan al-Aradah to discuss the current situation in the province amid the Houthi escalation and the human rights violations and crimes committed against civilians, according to Yemen's official news agency.
### Need for Safe Corridors
Lenderking emphasized the necessity for the Houthi militia to halt its military attacks on Marib province and the Al-Abdiyah district and to quickly open safe corridors to allow the entry of essential supplies and medical teams. He also denounced the intentional and repeated targeting of civilians and residential neighborhoods in Marib with ballistic missiles and drones, actions that expose their perpetrators to international accountability to achieve justice. He stressed the need to protect civilians from conflict and targeting, noting that these actions contradict peace efforts in Yemen and the cessation of war.
### Ongoing Escalation
For his part, Marib Governor al-Aradah outlined the continuous military aggression by the Houthi militia against the province since 2015 and the ongoing escalation for over two years, seeking to achieve certain battlefield gains while exploiting the unwarranted inaction of the international community regarding the crimes, serious escalation, and human rights violations against civilians in a province that hosts millions of displaced people. He pointed out that this escalation confirms that the Houthi militia does not believe in peace and disregards international calls for peace and an end to the war, accusing the Houthis of lacking the decision-making power regarding war and peace, which he claims lies with the leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah, specifically Hassan Irloo, a member of the Revolutionary Guard currently in the capital Sanaa.
### War Crimes
Governor al-Aradah affirmed that the residents of the Al-Abdiyah district are facing genocide under the siege imposed by the Houthi militia, necessitating a firm international stance and bold decisions to classify these militias as a terrorist group and pursue their leaders in international courts as war criminals. He also indicated that the Houthi militia's targeting of civilians in the capital of the province and other districts, as well as displacement camps with ballistic missiles and drones, resulted in the recent bombing of Al-Rawda neighborhood, causing the death and injury of 35 civilians, mostly women and children. He called on the international community to refer these crimes to the International Criminal Court to ensure that the perpetrators do not escape punishment.
