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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 14 december 2018

Yemen’s port city of Aden shows challenge of peace

By JON GAMBRELL
MALAK HARB
Associated Press
ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Ye-
men’s government nearly
saw itself pushed into the
sea by advancing reb-
els here three years ago.
Now the port city of Aden
shows the challenges that
will likely still plague the na-
tion following any potential
peace agreement.
Bursts of heavy machine
gun fire still punctuates the
nights in Aden, now the
seat of the internationally
recognized government, a
city marked with war-shat-
tered buildings and ques-
tions over what an end to
Yemen’s conflict might
mean for a region where
secessionist flags appear to
fly everywhere.
As a round of peace talks
in Sweden ended Thurs-
day between the govern- A soldier allied to Yemen’s internationally recognized government stands guard at the fish market in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Dec.
ment and Houthi rebels, 13, 2018.
foreign journalists on a tour Associated Press
organized by the Saudi- ment. gains, has heavily depreci- ate in Istanbul, allegedly by day in Rimbo, Sweden, with
led military coalition saw The Houthis, an armed ated in the war. Govern- members of Crown Prince the warring sides agreeing
a city needing huge sums group of followers of the ment salaries, a major eco- Mohammed bin Salman’s to a cease-fire in the stra-
of money and aid. A Cen- Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, nomic driver, dried up for royal entourage, has fueled tegic port city of Hodeida,
tral Bank official spoke of pushed government forces those in Houthi-controlled the anger of U.S. lawmak- where fighting has disrupt-
a hoped-for infusion of $3 south and almost entirely areas. ers. Already, the U.S. refu- ed vital aid deliveries for
billion by Kuwait and the out of Aden before Saudi “We need international eling of Saudi warplanes the entire country, and a
United Arab Emirates, un- and Emirati forces backed support in the upcoming has stopped after months withdrawal of combatants
derscoring the long road by other nations like the U.S. year to fill the gap and al- of indiscriminate airstrikes from the city’s front lines.
ahead for the Arab world’s launched a war against low us to pay salaries to Ye- on hospitals and markets, The agreement is con-
poorest country as U.S. law- them in March 2015. They meni citizens,” said Maeen killing civilians. sidered an important first
makers grow increasingly still hold Sanaa and sur- Abdulmalik Saeed, the Saeed, Yemen’s prime min- step toward further talks in
uneasy about America’s rounding areas in Yemen’s prime minister of Yemen’s ister, invoked the regional January aimed at draw-
role in the conflict. north. internationally recognized threat from Iran as a reason ing down the stalemated
“The road ahead is ex- More than 60,000 people government. “Support- America needed to remain conflict. However, more
tremely difficult,” said have been killed in Ye- ing Yemen’s economy will involved in the conflict, conflicts lurk just beneath
Adam Baron, a Yemen men’s war since 2016, ac- largely impact the humani- something earlier echoed the war. Throughout Aden,
analyst at the European cording to the U.S.-based tarian situation in Yemen.” on a trip last month to Ye- murals bore the flag of the
Council on Foreign Rela- Armed Conflict Location Saudi Arabia has depos- men by U.S. Ambassador former Communist South
tions and the Washing- & Event Data Project, ited billions into Yemen’s Matthew Tueller. United Yemen. Even soldiers es-
ton-based think tank New or ACLED, which tracks the Central Bank to support Nations experts, Western corting foreign journalists in
America. “Security issues conflict. The fighting has the country. Officials hope nations and analysts say Aden flew the tricolor red,
remain extremely perilous also displaced 2 million oth- another $3 billion soon will Iran supplies the Houthis white and black flag, its
in the city of Aden, the ers, spawned a cholera come from Kuwait and with weapons ranging from light blue chevron and red
economy remains in deep epidemic and pushed the the UAE, said Shokeib Ho- assault rifles up to the bal- star flapping in the wind.
trouble and the currency country to the brink of fam- beishy, the deputy head of listic missiles the rebels can “It’s quite clear that many
continues to fluctuate.” ine as emaciated children Central Bank. now fire deeply into Saudi Southern secessionists are
Yemen, the southern un- die of malnutrition. Millions “Oil exports used to amount Arabia to target its capital, now empowered; the key
dercarriage of the Arabian wake up hungry each day, to 76 percent of the coun- Riyadh. Iran denies arming moving forward is going
Peninsula also home to oil- not knowing from where try’s income,” Hobeishy the rebels. to be the solution to the
rich Saudi Arabia and the their next meal will come. said. “This is one of the main “Yemen’s security and the southern issue,” said Baron,
Dubai skyscrapers of the On the surface, life ap- reasons that we stress the stability of the region is the the Yemen analyst. “Ye-
United Arab Emirates, was pears to be humming on importance of resuming most important thing right men will not have any sort
torn by decades of warfare in Aden. Fishermen secure Yemen’s capability to ex- now,” Saeed said. “The of wider-range stability until
prior to this current conflict. their catches in the sun- port oil.” United States’ decision the southern issue is dealt
Rebels known as Houthis soaked waters of the Gulf Yet Western fatigue with the should take into account with in some form, and I
stormed into the capital, of Aden. Cashiers thump Saudi-led war is growing. what Iran is doing in the re- think that’s something ob-
Sanaa, in September 2014 through giant wads of cash The killing and dismember- gion and the role it plays in vious that you can’t ignore
and later seized power at the Central Bank. ment of Washington Post Yemen.” if you’re walking or driv-
from the country’s interna- But Yemen’s currency, journalist Jamal Khashoggi Peace talks over ending ing through the streets of
tionally recognized govern- though making recent at the kingdom’s consul- the war wrapped up Thurs- Aden.”q