The Security Council Calls for All Parties Involved in Yemen to Return to Negotiations

Following the killing of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen, and the escalation of conflict in the country, the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, December 5, called on all parties involved in the Yemen war to help reduce tensions and return to negotiations. According to the French news agency, Kurobushu, Japan's ambassador to the UN and the current president of the Security Council, after a closed-door meeting of the council members, urged all Yemeni factions to participate in a political process under the auspices of the UN without any preconditions to achieve a lasting ceasefire in the country. The president of the Security Council stated that all 15 members of the council are deeply concerned about the intensification of violence and the worsening conditions for the people in Yemen. He added, 'Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic famine.' Kurobushu also stated that Security Council members strongly condemned missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. According to the report, Iranian-backed Houthi militants have fired several missiles towards Saudi Arabia in the past month. Ali Abdullah Saleh, after about three years of coalition with the Houthi Shiites in the war against forces loyal to the Yemeni president and the Saudi-led military coalition, changed his position in the civil war and spoke of opening a 'new chapter' in relations with the Saudi-led military coalition. However, the Houthi Shiite militants accused Ali Abdullah Saleh of treason, and Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, became the scene of intense battles between the Houthis and Saleh's loyal military forces. The Houthi militants finally managed to take full control of the city on Tuesday and blew up Ali Abdullah Saleh's house. Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Houthi militia forces on Tuesday. The Red Cross reports that at least 234 people have been killed and 400 others injured in the recent five days of clashes in Sana'a. The civil war in Yemen between the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Yemeni government, supported by the Saudi-led military coalition, has created the largest humanitarian crisis according to the United Nations. The UN states that due to the obstruction of humanitarian aid transfers by the warring parties, the largest famine in the modern history of the country may occur. In this context, Ali Abdullah Saleh's son 'promised' to take revenge on the Houthi Shiites.