Ansarullah’s Ultimatum to Riyadh and Its Western Backers

In its recent meeting, Ansarullah announced that the extension of the ceasefire in Yemen is conditional on the actions of the Saudi coalition in reopening roads, airports and ports, as well as paying the salaries of all government employees. The Sana'a-based Supreme Political Council of Yemen (SPCY) announced that all proposals and plans that have been presented to the country or will be presented subsequently will be examined and appropriate decisions will be made about them based on the national interests of Yemen to ease the suffering of the Yemeni nation. The SPCY also stated that increasing the benefits and concessions of the ceasefire will help resolve the conflict. 

Ansarullah has re-stated its conditions, while the Saudis have not fulfilled their obligations in the past six months since the ceasefire agreement with the aggression coalition was signed and have always violated the ceasefire with their repeated attacks, whereas according to the agreements, Sana'a airport was supposed to be reopened and two flights were to be made every week to transfer the sick and wounded to Jordan, but there have been many violations by the Saudis. 

The most important terms of the ceasefire were the reopening of the ports and the supply of fuel needed by Yemen, which Saudi Arabia has stonewalled by such measures as fuel shipments seizures, triggering a sharp reaction from Ansarullah. The Yemenis no longer trust the Saudis and therefore this time have issued their final conditions, which is a kind of ultimatum to the Saudis to choose between fulfilling their promises and resuming the war. Ansarullah had warned upon extension of the truce in August that there would be no renewal if the Arab coalition continued its violations. 

This time, Ansarullah plans to force the Saudis to reopen ports and airports so that they can transfer more patients out of Yemen for treatment. According to the UN statistics, millions of Yemenis are malnourished and need medical care, and during the ceasefire period, due to the Saudi violations, only a few limited flights have been made to Jordan, which is insignificant compared to the population of Yemeni patients. The increase in number of patients in a situation when Yemen is under a sea blockade and the sending of humanitarian aids is not enough to heal the pain of the Yemenis can cause troubles to Ansarullah and that is why the leaders of this movement intend to send as many patients as possible abroad. According to the statistics announced by the Yemeni Ministry of Health, tens of thousands of Yemenis have contracted infectious diseases such as cholera, which must be treated as soon as possible. 

Another condition of Ansarullah is the reopening of the ports, on which the Yemenis strongly insist in the ceasefire agreements. Hudaydeh port was supposed to be reopened to receive humanitarian aids to solve part of Yemen's food and medical problems, but the Saudis did not fulfill their obligations in this regard. The Saudis claim that if the ports are reopened, foreign countries may send weapons to Ansarullah under the guise of humanitarian aids. 

Lifting the blockade and reopening the ports is of special significance for Ansarullah as this would allow fuel ships to dock in the country's ports and pave the way for the UN aids supplies. In recent months, the Saudis have seized all Yemen-bound fuel shipments and released some of them after some time with the warnings of Ansarullah and the mediation of the UN, and the Yemenis are extremely angry about this issue. Given that the winter is coming, Yemenis need more fuel and the widening of fuel problem along with famine and air blockade will cause millions of Yemenis experience deeper crisis. Published reports indicate that fuel has become so scarce in Yemen that bakeries use wood instead of fuel, and this problem will double in the cold season. Ansarullah struggles to supply the fuel they need by ensuring that ports will reopen. Because if this difficult problem is solved and humanitarian aids are sent to Yemen through the ports, Ansarullah leaders will be able to manage the country better and make appropriate decisions to implement their plans. Therefore, this time Ansarullah insists on implementation of its conditions. 

US, UN struggling to save Saudi Arabia 

While Ansarullah is not yielding to a ceasefire not beneficial to Yemen at any costs, the US and the UN are pressing the movement for a long-term and sustainable deal with Riyadh. During a meeting of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Aden-based Yemeni Presidential Council in New York, the top US diplomat called for extension of the truce. In recent days, the US special representative for Yemeni affairs has tried to extend the ceasefire in Yemen once again in a meeting with the Saudi and Omani officials. The representative of the UN has recently held consultations with the leaders of Ansarullah and the Saudis for them to strike a six-month ceasefire deal. 

By extending the ceasefire in Yemen, America is trying to stop Ansarullah's operations against the oil facilities and infrastructure of the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Given that the West is facing an energy crunch after the war in Ukraine and is trying to curb oil prices in the world markets, it does not find beneficial continuation of the war in Yemen, and it is bending over backwards to secure a extention agreement. Because Ansarullah has warned that if the ceasefire is violated, it will resume its missile and drone operations against the two Arab countries, and if the oil facilities of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are targeted, oil price increase would be inevitable, which would be costly to the US and Europe. 

In its latest military parade nearly a month ago, Ansarullah unveiled its new arms, telling the enemies that if the agreement collapses, it would resume its strikes with new capabilities it has developed in recent months. The Yemenis have not stood idle during the ceasefire months and enhanced their military strength and this sends a clear warning to Riyadh leaders to exert wisdom and seek an ultimate peace instead of escalation of tensions. 

By announcing its terms for extension of the truce, Ansarullah has issued an ultimatum that if Riyadh seriously wants to end the war, it is better to give in to the demands of the Yemenis and make up for their past treachery regarding reopening the ports and airports and removing the seizure of fuel shipments. The resumption of war will bring about disastrous consequences for the aggression coalition and leaves not only the Saudis but also their backers face to face with new challenges.