World News

Tribal leaders from a Houthi-stronghold have told a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to continue fighting the Houthis according to Arab News.

In a press conference held on Monday, tribal leaders based in Saada Governorate, northern Yemen, condemned the Iranian-aligned Houthis and expressed support for the Saudi-led coalition’s military activity in northern Yemen.

The conflict in Yemen escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains from Saada to Sana’a. The Yemen National Army – including foreign mercenaries – supported by the Saudi-led coalition have made considerable territorial gains inside northern Yemen over the past year.

The tribal leaders claim that Iran is driving a wedge between Arab countries and using its proxies to do so, according to Arab News. The leaders distanced themselves from the Houthi group and claimed that northern Saada is not totally influenced by the Houthis.

“We appeal to our legitimate government and the coalition to continue the battle for Saada’s liberation,” Abdul Khalek Bishr, a tribal leader said.

“Saada region is an extension of the Arab tribes – a fact that strengthens our fraternal bonds,” said Fahad Al-Sharafy, a tribal leader.

Saudi quagmire in Yemen – Cartoon [Latuff/MiddleEastMonitor]

“The sons of Saada have always opposed Iranian designs. For a decade, we resisted Iran and offered stiff resistance,” he said. “Saada does not follow a certain sect. Saada is for all of Yemen. Today, we stand hand-in-hand with our brothers from the coalition” Al-Sharafy continued.

Abdul Khalek Bishr, another tribal leader, said “the sons of Saada’s governorate still raise the banners of sacrifice and struggle against the Iranian-backed militia, which has lasted more than a decade and half until now”.

“We have opposed and resisted for years. The Iranian militia does not represent us and we do not accept the Persian interference,” he added.

The Saudi coalition’s spokesperson, Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, warned that the Houthi group is portraying the coalition as an “occupying force”. “Our message is that we are coming in peace, and for the reconstruction of buildings and the coexistence of all groups in Saada.”

Three years on, more than 15,000 Yemenis have been killed according to the UN and millions continue to suffer in what it has declared to be the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.