UK envoy to Yemen says Riyadh deal key to ending crisis

British Ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, said on Tuesday that implementing the Riyadh Agreement is key to ending the crisis in the war-torn country.

Taking to Twitter, Aron wrote: “I sympathise with Yemenis suffering from lack of income and services,” adding: “Implementation of Riyadh Agreement is key.”

I sympathise with Yemenis suffering from lack of income & services. Implementation of Riyadh Agreement is key. Government needs resources to deliver reform & improve conditions. Political forces should act responsibly demonstrators with restraint & security forces with discipline

— Michael Aron (@HSAMichaelAron) March 16, 2021

He added: “Government needs resources to deliver reform and improve conditions,” stressing that “Political forces should act responsibly demonstrators with restraint & security forces with discipline.”

This followed an attack on a migrant centre in Sanaa. “Appalled by fire at Houthi-controlled migrant centre in Sana’a,” he tweeted.

He also called for a “credible, transparent and independent investigation” to be carried out regarding this attack.

Aron reiterated the diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are the “best hope for ending this war” in the country.

UK also called on Houthis to ensure a transparent and independent investigation into the fire at the Houthi-run migrant detention centre, including the involvement of the Houthi security service. Scores may have died. The Houthis' treatment of migrants must improve.

— Michael Aron (@HSAMichaelAron) March 17, 2021

“Our renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, in support of UN Special Envoy, with support of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the international community, offer the best hope for ending this war,” he tweeted.

He also urged the Houthis “to seize this opportunity for peace and end the ongoing escalation.”

READ: US: We’ve offered Houthis a plan for a Yemen ceasefire

“We reaffirm strong support for a swift resolution of the conflict, which will bring stability to the region and immediate benefit to the people of Yemen.”

Impoverished Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

The war, in which the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) back the Saudi-led coalition, has killed more than 100,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations (UN) official data.