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US calls on Houthis to dismantle camps and withdraw from Amran

August 30, 2014 at 12:55 pm

Washington called on the Houthis – an insurgent group in Yemen – on Friday to dismantle their camps and withdraw from Amran, accusing them of seeking to undermine the political transition process and stability in the country.

Spokeswoman of the US state department Jen Psaki said in a statement: “The United States joins the United Nations Security Council and the international community in strongly condemning the actions taken by the Houthis, led by Abdul Malik Al Houthi, and those who support them.”

Psaki added: “Their [Houthis] actions seek to undermine the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) political transition process and Yemen’s stability.”

She said that the US “in particular condemns the Houthi’s provocative, aggressive, and destabilising actions and incitement against the government of Yemen, the establishment of armed camps in and around Sana’a, and their continued illegitimate control of Amran.”

The US, Psaki said, called for the Houthis “to immediately dismantle their armed camps and checkpoints in and around Sana’a, withdraw their forces from Amran, return Amran to the control of the government of Yemen, and return the weapons looted from the 310th Brigade compound.”

She also called on them to “implement ceasefires in all conflict areas to prevent further violence from destabilising the transition process and cooperate with the government of Yemen’s efforts to achieve a sustainable and peaceful political resolution to the current conflict.”

Psaki praised the efforts of the Yemeni President Hadi Mansour. “We commend President Hadi’s continued efforts as he leads Yemen in implementing the GCC Initiative and national dialogue recommendations,” she said.

Meanwhile, Psaki called on the Houthis and all other parties in Yemen to take part in the peaceful political transition of the country. “This offers a historic opportunity to build an inclusive system of governance that ensures a stable and prosperous future for all Yemenis,” the spokeswoman said.

She stressed that her country remains firmly committed to supporting President Hadi and all Yemenis in the implementation of the GCC Initiative.

The United Nations Security Council condemned on Friday the Houthis activities in Yemen and threatened to take punitive measures against them. The crisis in Yemen has entered its third week, with no sign that the political talks proposed by Yemeni President Hadi will materialise.

Hadi recognised on Thursday that the Houthis have caused a crisis by “exploiting” the problematic situation in the Yemen.

Houthis have been encircling Sana’a by setting up camps around it for two weeks. They said that they are carrying out a “popular revolution” against the rise of fuel prices, as well as calling for the deposition of the current “failed” government.