Houthi Militants: Ready for Negotiation if Attacks Cease

The Shia Houthi militants have announced that they are ready to negotiate peace in Yemen if Saudi Arabia and its allies stop their airstrikes against the group's positions. They also state that countries not involved in the aggression against this group in Yemen can oversee such negotiations. According to Reuters, the air and naval attacks by Saudi Arabia and its allies have continued for the eleventh day on Sunday, April 5. Meanwhile, the United Nations' efforts to establish peace between Yemen's President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Iranian-backed Houthi militants have yielded no results. Saleh al-Sammad, a senior member of the Houthis and a former advisor to Yemen's president, responded to a Reuters inquiry by stating that 'Yemenis oppose' the return of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to power. Hadi fled to Aden in the south after the Houthi militants and their allied groups seized the capital, Sana'a, and ultimately escaped from Aden after the Houthis attacked the south; he is currently in Saudi Arabia. However, Saleh al-Sammad emphasized that the Houthis still insist on their position for equal and fair negotiations. He stated: 'We have no conditions for negotiations other than the cessation of aggression and that negotiations be held at a specific time, with regional and international parties that are not involved in the aggression against the people able to oversee such negotiations.' Meanwhile, the Shia Houthi militants, supported by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have managed to push back Hadi's supporters in the port city of Aden. The UN reports that at least 500 people have been killed and over 1,700 injured in Yemen over the past two weeks. According to Reuters, Yemen has now become a battleground for proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, although the Islamic Republic of Iran denies any support for the Shia Houthis. Saleh al-Sammad stated that the Houthis have no desire to control the south of the country but are focused on countering the threat from al-Qaeda forces. Meanwhile, the International Red Cross called on Saturday for a 24-hour ceasefire in Yemen to assist the people, and Russia has also proposed a draft resolution calling for a halt to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. The International Red Cross stated that all land, air, and sea routes must be opened to access those trapped during the Saudi airstrikes.