Local Editor
The formation of a new government by Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and its political allies will hinder peace efforts in the country, the UN special envoy to Yemen said on Tuesday.
The move, reported by the state-run state news agency on Monday, has been seen as a blow to UN-backed efforts to end 20 months of war in Yemen.
"The announcement by (the Houthi) Ansarullah and the General People’s Congress on the formation of a new government in Sana’a represents a new and concerning obstacle to the peace process and does not serve the interests of the people of Yemen in these difficult times," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.
"There is still a chance to pull Yemen back from the brink," he said, adding that all parties to the conflict should recommit to a cessation of hostilities, including a complete halt to ground and air military activities.
The formation of the new government was also condemned by the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC], whose member Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition backing Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the fugitive Yemeni president.
The coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes against Yemen.
"The step of forming a government indicates the enormous importance of reinforcing our domestic position and serving the people, despite the difficult economic situation," the Ansarullah group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a statement carried on the website of a Yemeni news channel.
Diplomats had hoped the Houthis would hold off on putting together a cabinet of their loyalists and instead form a unity government with their Yemeni foes.
The Houthis previously said forming a government with their allies did not mean abandoning the UN-sponsored peace process.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
