The Saudis want a way out of the war in Yemen and are using the coronavirus as a 'figleaf', says one analyst
Saudi Arabia sounded so magnanimous. For five years it has been fighting the Houthis, a group of Shia rebels in Yemen, on behalf of the government they toppled. The war has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure and killed more than 100,000 people. But on April 8th Saudi Arabia and its allies promised to lay down their arms for two weeks. The reason for the ceasefire, said a Saudi official, was “to alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people and maintain their health and safety”.
Despite its vicious air campaign, Saudi Arabia has been unable to dislodge the Houthis from most of Yemen’s population centres, including the capital, Sana’a . Its main international ally, the United Arab Emirates, began scaling back its involvement in the war last year. The Saudis themselves are bombing less: their air strikes are down by more than 90% compared with 2015. In recent months they have held secret talks with the Houthis.
But the Houthis sense Prince Muhammad’s desperation and want a better deal. They rejected the ceasefire, while putting forward their own peace plan. It demands that Saudi Arabia lift its air and sea blockade of Yemen, pay reparations for the damage it has caused and recognise the Houthis as the legitimate government. If the Saudis do not agree, the Houthis promise “a major escalation inside the kingdom”.
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