Yemen – Escalations in Taiz threaten a desperately needed truce

Location: Taiz, Yemen

Language: Arabic

Duration: 00:02:15

Voice: Natural

Source: A24 News Agency Yemen

Restriction: A24 subscribers

Date: 19/09/2022

Storyline:

New clashes erupted this week between the Houthi militia and government forces in the Yemeni governorate of Taiz after the Iran-backed rebels violated an UN-brokered truce.

Mohammed Saddam- an officer in the government’s army, told A24 that despite his troops’ adherence to all the ceasefire terms, the Houthis fired many missiles at the army’s areas and the city of Taiz, targeting men, women, and children.

The renewed fighting prompted the internationally recognized government in Aden to withdraw from the Amman consultations, which aimed to bridge the gaps between the conflicting parties and end the Yemeni crisis.

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, is holding meetings with the Yemeni parties and consultations in Arab and regional capitals to extend the truce.

US envoy Timothy Linder King and EU ambassadors also seek to uphold the agreement and end the conflict. However, amid these events, observers pointed out that the situation in Yemen has become more complex and reduced the chances of extending the truce.

Shot list:

Soundbite (Mohammed Saddam – a colonel in the Yemeni army):

“On the part of the government and the national army, we adhered to the truce and all its provisions, but these Houthi militias have always been rebellious against the agreements, charters, and covenants. Therefore, we saw a fierce attack by the Houthi militia on the people of Taiz, despite our commitment as a national army to this truce. These militias kill children, women, and men daily and work to mobilize people in all districts of Taiz governorate.”

Soundbite (Mohammed Seif – a leader in the Yemeni army):

“A large number of people have been martyred since the signing of the agreement, and the national army has fully and comprehensively committed to the truce and has not fired a single shot at any military site. But the militias began to fire missiles on areas of the national army immediately after the signing.”