Why do the coalition and its mercenaries refuse to open roads in Taiz that alleviate civilian’s sufferings

Since 2015, the mercenaries affiliated with the US-Saudi aggression rejected all solutions and initiatives presented by the former Supreme Revolutionary Committee, and then the Supreme Political Council, to spare Taiz governorate from any confrontations to alleviate the suffering of its people. The coalition of aggression, along with Al-Islah mercenaries and Salafi mercenaries, funded by the Emirates, insisted on turning Taiz into a frontline.

The local mercenaries paid by the Saudi-led aggression, in 2018, rejected a ceasefire similar to the Stockholm Agreement in Hodeidah, and they also rejected all initiatives to open roads to the province of Taiz. They also broke promises and advanced militarily when Sanaa opened roads unilaterally.

In the Amman negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations, the aggression rejected roads that connect the two halves of the city of Taiz and Al-Hawban. Shall they were opened, it wouldn’t take more than 15 minutes to get to Taiz; thus, eliminating the suffering of 5 hours to move between the occupied parts by the mercenaries of the aggression and the liberated side of the governorate.

In this context, Salim Al-Moghales, Minister of Civil Service, and the former governor of Taiz, who had a history in this file, explained in detail why the mercenary delegations in Amman’s talks have rejected the initiative of opening three roads, emphasizing that they are looking for inhumane military methods.

“The issue of Taiz goes way back and is being exploited by mercenaries to arouse the human sentiments of the people of the province and mobilize them to the battlefronts to fight on the side of the Saudi-American aggression coalition,” he said.

He also pointed out that they already have experience with them and they do not want to open the roads, they only want to trade the suffering of the people of this province with the humanitarian organizations.

There is no siege against Taiz, as they say, but they are besieging the free parts of this governorate. The port of Mocha is theirs and they prevent the arrival of goods to the rest of the governorate, the port of Aden is open to them, and it is forbidden to deliver materials and goods from it to the parts in Taiz under the authority of the Supreme Political Council. Therefore, those who claim the siege are the ones besieging liberated areas.

Taiz is a military front like any front in this country, and they are the ones who made it a front that serves the coalition of aggression, and between these fronts, roads were cut off due to the overlapping clashes in this province, as well as the case in other provinces that witness confrontations.

There were initiatives by the Supreme Political Council from one side and opened the road to Salh Ab’ar Al-Zaila’i. The other party announced at the time and is in control of the so-called Abu Al-Abbas Brigades, its refusal to open the road on its part with an official statement.

Looking back at Sweden’s negotiations, the national delegation completely agreed on a UN statement that stipulates the cessation of clashes and fighting in Taiz governorate, rural and city completely, and opening of all roads, as well as the opening of Taiz airport, but it was rejected at the time by the mercenary delegation headed by Askar Zail at the time. The Supreme Revolutionary Committee agreed that even Ansar Allah withdraws from Taiz to prevent bloodshed, and there were negotiations in which Talal Aklan participated to spare Taiz from fighting, but Hammoud Al-Mikhlafi and the aggression media refused at the time and said that the matter is in the hands of the coalition, and the coalition wanted to keep Taiz as a military front

Inhumane military objectives

Regarding the stubbornness of the mercenary delegations in Amman in front of the initiative to open three humanitarian routes to the city of Taiz that link the occupied areas in Taiz with the liberated parts, Minister Al-Mughallas referred to the mercenaries’ betrayal of each other, and the party that made the main decision is working to keep Taiz a focus of tension, evidenced by the approval of the Military Committee, that is concerned with Amman’s negotiations, to make Taiz a priority and postpone the rest of the governorates.

 

Minister Al-Maghlas said: They want military roads, they do not want roads for the humanitarian side, and this is very clear. For example, there was a road in Wadi Al-Dahi that leads to Bir Pasha, Al-Saman and Sapoon. This road remained open for a long time and they were shooting at citizens taking this road and accusing the army. After using this excuse they violated the covenant and advance to the Al-Saman and Sapoon, Currently. They were in the valley and now they are in the Al-Saman and Sapoon through this road.

In Amman, our delegation went with a sincere intention to normalize the situation and open roads. A military delegation that had the decision and had the will to know where the roads would fit. On the other hand, three delegations of the mercenaries arrived. The first delegation was a political delegation headed by Abdul Karim Shaiban, who received accusations. Another delegation was then sent, headed by Samir al-Sabri, and their delegation was only concerned with the Taiz governorate, although the talks were supposed to discuss all governorates and opening roads crossing all regions in Yemen.

After that, a third delegation followed, from the coalition itself, so that the coalition would be present and the picture was transmitted to it first because they do not trust their mercenaries, despite all their loyalty.

The lie of the siege unfolds

The mercenary delegation sought to only make Amman’s negotiations only about Taiz, thinking that the National Military Committee would reject this and insist on discussing the opening of all roads at the same time. However, the opposite happened, as the military committee gave the initiative of opening three roads to Taiz. The first road from Karsh Al-Rahda Al-Hawban connects Taiz and Lahj to Aden, the second road is the road of Salah Ibaar Al-Zaila’i, which does not exceed 15 minutes and eliminates the suffering of 5 hours, and the third road is closer than the previous one, 60th 50th Al-Defa’a Al-Joui, and it’s paved with asphalt, and only takes 5 to 10 minutes to the city.

The strange thing is that they claim the siege on them, and those besieged accept even one road, while they refuse three roads. The truth is that there is no siege, but trade in Taiz to loot the organizations’ money and the blood of the people of Taiz to serve the coalition of aggression and obtain Saudi money.

The road the mercenaries call to open in their statements, which is the road called “Al-Qasr intersection”, is a strange and scandalous matter. This front is greatly intertwined. The army and the people’s committees in this building and the mercenaries in the opposite building, which is a densely populated area and the passage of people is difficult because it is a place where shooting is exchanged from both sides. Their intention in opening this road is probably to repeat the experience of Al-Dahi Shooting passers-by and accusing the army and committees of killing civilians.

More than once, it was suggested that the fighting on this road be stopped and the military forces redeployed from both sides so that the danger to passers-by or on the front ends. The mercenaries refused, insisting on opening it with their presence and without any supervision and without any stop of exchanging fire, impossible demands, and the goal, in my opinion, is that this port is close to the al-Hawban area. If this port is breached, they will reach al-Hawban. They refuse alternative roads that are minutes away, because they want military roads, not humanitarian ones.

Taiz is just a political speaking

For his part, Lieutenant-General Jalal Al-Rowaishan, Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs, confirms that the side of the aggression is using the Taiz file as a political speech.

We have a negotiating team on the issue of roads and crossings, and before the negotiation and armistice, Sanaa has put forward broader initiatives to open all roads and crossings. The mercenaries focus on partial issues in this file to obscure the truth regarding the siege and aggression imposed on the Yemeni people.

We demand the lifting of the siege on all governorates of the Republic from all regions. There is a siege in Marib, in Al-Dhalea, a siege on the western coast, a siege in Taiz, a siege in all clashing areas that besiege citizens, and therefore why does the other side not take the initiative to open all roads and crossings.

Our negotiating team has proposed more dynamic alternatives that will achieve more relief from the suffering of the people, but the reality is that the other side is exploiting some provinces and using terms to achieve political goals far from the concerns and suffering of the people.

Logic says, were it not for military fears, there would be no closing points, contact areas, positioning points, and sites. Therefore, if there was a guarantee to remove military fears, there would be no points or closures. Therefore, they ignore providing military guarantees and demand the opening of roads in specific areas and not in all regions and governorates.

I assure you that the issue of Taiz is used as a political discourse to provoke the international community. We’ve all heard of the Al-Durayhimi area, which was completely besieged for two years and every humanitarian body neglected it, while the situation is different in Taiz, because it is not being besieged, as the other party portrays it.

The mercenaries of Taiz continue to use Taiz and exploit it politically to achieve military goals. The file of roads and ending the suffering there can be resolved in an hour’s meeting if the intentions of the other side are available, but the coalition keeps the Taiz file a focus of tension. Currently, its mercenaries in Amman and all the previous negotiations are looking for military routes, not humanitarian routes.

• Translated from Al-Masirah Net