The United States urges the Houthis to halt their advance on Marib - a region controlled by the legitimate government of Yemen – and return to the negotiating table. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that about one million Yemenis have sought refuge in Marib since the beginning of the war to escape Houthi violence. This assault will only increase the number of internally displaced persons and exacerbate the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.
“If the Houthis are serious about a negotiated political solution, they must cease all military advances and refrain from other destabilizing and potentially lethal actions, including cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement. “They must commit to constructively participate in the UN-led political process and engage seriously in the diplomatic effort led by U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking.”
Special Envoy Lenderking pledged to “pursue a dual-track approach to build international support to achieving a lasting political solution while bringing humanitarian relief to the Yemeni people:”
“The President and the Secretary have made very clear our commitment to prioritizing efforts to alleviate the worsening humanitarian crisis and to ensuring that humanitarian assistance and basic commodities reach the Yemeni people.”
The United States is also prioritizing diplomacy, said Special Envoy Lenderking:
“We maintain that a political solution that brings the parties together is the only way to bring lasting peace to Yemen, and lasting relief to the people of Yemen. We’re working now to energize international diplomatic efforts with our Gulf partners, the United Nations, and others to create the right conditions for a ceasefire and to push the parties toward a negotiated settlement to end the war in Yemen.”
“The time to end this conflict is now,” said spokesperson Price. “There is no military solution.”
