The key facts

  • Yemen's Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zuba said that nearly ten years of talks with the Houthis have not led to a political settlement.
  • Yemen will continue military operations until the group is disarmed.
  • Al-Zuba met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during her first visit to Turkey since July.

Statement in Istanbul

Yemen's Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zuba said on Saturday that nearly a decade of negotiations with the Houthis has failed to produce a political settlement of the conflict. According to her, the government will continue military operations until the country's goals are achieved and the group is disarmed. She made the remarks while speaking to journalists in Istanbul.

Accusations against the Houthis

Al-Zuba accused the Houthis of using periods of calm to build up their arsenals and of blocking attempts to end the conflict. She stressed that the government will not accept negotiations that give the group an opportunity to rearm. The minister recalled the 2016 talks: according to her, after about 100 days of discussions, the Houthis refused to sign the proposed agreement. She also accused them of derailing subsequent peace initiatives, including the Saudi-backed efforts that began in 2022.

The operation and the visit to Turkey

Al-Zuba said the Operation Yemen Dawn would continue 'resolutely' until its stated goals are achieved. Earlier the same day, she met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan — her first visit to Turkey since taking office in July.

Context of the conflict

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and a number of other provinces. In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognized government. The Houthis control most of the country's north and west, while government forces and their allies hold Aden and significant parts of the southern and eastern provinces.

Significance of the statement

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry's statement fixes the government's hard line: the negotiation model tested in 2016 and 2022 is declared exhausted, and disarmament of the group is named as a condition for any new dialogue. For Yemen's residents, this means, in the minister's words, that the military phase of the conflict will continue, and prospects for a swift peaceful settlement remain uncertain. It should also be noted: the accusations against the Houthis cited here are the position of the Yemeni government as stated by its minister; the group itself is not quoted in the publication, and its point of view is not represented in the source.