Yemen government and separatist 'allies' end war within war
November 5, 2019
A bloody war has been raging in the southern Gulf state for four years, pushing the country into crisis. Does a power sharing agreement between Yemen's government and southern separatist fighter mean an end is in sight?
Image: Reuters/Saudi Press Agency
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Yemen's internationally recognized government and southern separatist fighters signed a power-sharing agreement to end infighting between the groups.
"This agreement will open, God willing, broader talks between Yemeni parties to reach a political solution and end the war" said the Saudi crown prince at a signing ceremony aired live on Riyadh TV.
The Riyadh agreement will stop infighting between Saudi-backed Yemen-government troops and UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council fightersImage: Reuters/Saudi Press Agency
The "Riyadh Agreement," as the deal is known, concludes a month of indirect peace talks between the recognized government, led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the UAE-backed separatists known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
The two sides had been fighting one another despite being united against the Iran-aligned Houthi forces, which hold Sanaa, and many other main cities in Yemen.
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, praised the deal saying it is "an important step for our collective efforts to advance a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen."
"We congratulate our southern people with the Riyadh agreement, which is the only solution to the current situation, and we send our congratulations to our military and political leadership for this great and historic occasion," said Mohdar al-Omari, a commander with the southern separatist militia, according to Qatar state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The STC will join with other southern fighters and their armies will be integrated into the government's forces within the next three months.
A new cabinet will be formed containing no more than 24 ministers within 30 days and half of these positions must be filled with southern separatist fighters either from STC or other groups.
The STC will also be included in any further political discussions to end the war in Yemen.
Troops from Yemen's Hadi-led government's military and the STC will have to pull out of Aden within 30 days. Saudi Arabia's military will then take over control of security within the city.
Houthi rebels repeatedly attacked Saudi cities with drones and missiles in recent months and Riyadh has been hoping to refocus the STC and Saudi-backed Hadi-government armies on combating this.
Initially, Saudi Arabia had intervened to restore President Hadi's government after Houthi rebels ousted it from the capital in 2015.
A Yemeni street artist has invited locals in cities around the world to draw images of their choice on the street, with the over-arching theme of highlighting Yemen's plight. Gouri Sharma reports.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/C. Gateau
Raising awareness
Participants across 10 cities from the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe backed the recent "Open Day for Art" event organized by prominent Yemeni street artist Murad Subay. For four years in a row, Subay has been curating the art day to bring together people — young, old, artists and students — to promote peace and raise awareness of the ongoing war in Yemen.
Image: Najeeb Subay
A message for peace
Speaking after the event, which was held simultaneously in six places in Yemen including in Maarib city (pictured), Subay said: "The message of this event is really simple. This is about expressing what participants hope, what they believe and what they feel during this difficult time for our country. It's also about promoting peace, since war, borders and politics are dividing people."
More than 100 people showed up for the campaign in the South Korean city of Gwangju. Chief organizer, Man-Hee Lees, a war veteran who fought in the Korean war, said they got involved because of the positive impact. "Peace cannot be achieved by any one person, but I could see that through the meeting between us and Murad, the hearts that can cease wars and eventually bring peace could come closer."
Image: Heavenly Culture/World Peace/Restoration of Light Organization
Strong show of support
There was a strong showing of participants from the southwestern city of Taiz, which hosted the event alongside other Yemeni cities, including Aden and Hudaydah. The conflict is seen as a proxy battle between regional superpowers Iran and Saudi Arabia. More than 5,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting. The UN says Yemen could become the worst humanitarian disaster in the last 50 years.
Image: Odina for Artistic Production
A deeper message
Artist Safa’a Ahmed organized the event at an orphanage in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar. "To draw for peace, there are no other people to work with than kids. And to draw with kids who have lost their parents, brings a deeper message because what war does is make a lot of kids orphans."
Image: Raissa Firdaws
Putting a smile on it
In the South Korean capital Seoul, the Yemeni Student Union collaborated with the cultural diversity organization, World Culture Open, to host the event.
Image: Yemeni Student Union/World Culture Open
Parisians show their support
Around 25 people from Paris took part in the campaign. Organizer Khadija Al Salami, a filmmaker, explained why she got involved. "It was very important to participate with Murad during this crucial time where Yemeni people are forced to go through such a devastating war that kills innocent people and destroys everything beautiful around them."
Image: Khadija Al-Salami
Peace campaign picks up speed
Murad’s art campaigns have been internationally recognized for raising awareness about the impact of the war on civilians, including forced disappearances, the cholera epidemic and drone strikes. Over the coming months, he says, more artists from across the globe will join his campaign, and there are plans for the same event to be held in cities in Canada, America and Djibouti.
