Presence of Islamic State and Al Qaeda in parts of Yemen needs to be addressed

India has said the presence of terrorist elements like ISIS and Al Qaeda in parts of Yemen and their continued attacks on civilian population needs to be addressed, stressing that the international community must unite to fight the “dark forces of terror” globally and hold those who support and shelter such terror groups accountable.

Noting that the situation in Yemen is one of grave humanitarian proportions, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu on Thursday emphasised at an Arria-formula meeting on Yemen that the solution to it is political, which can be achieved only through a broad and inclusive political process.

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthis since March 2015, months after the rebels seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

“While discussing the broader political conflict in Yemen, the presence of terrorist elements like ISIS and Al Qaeda in parts of the country and their continued attacks on civilian population needs to be addressed,” Mr Naidu said.

He said terrorism is an “existential threat” to humanity and terrorists are the biggest violators of human rights.

“We must unite in fighting the dark forces of terror everywhere in the world and hold accountable those who support and shelter such terror groups,” he said.

“We hope that all parties would eschew violence and fully co-operate with the Special Envoy in finalising the Joint Declaration at the earliest. To this end, we call for an implementation of the Stockholm Agreement of 2018 and the Riyadh Declaration of 2019,” he said adding that ultimately, establishing peace and security through a political dialogue is the only way forward in Yemen.

The Stockholm agreement is a voluntary accord between the parties of the conflict in Yemen.

Its main component includes an agreement on the city of Hudaydah and the ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa an executive mechanism on activating the prisoner exchange agreement.

Asserting that violence against women and girls deserves the strongest condemnation, Naidu said acts of sexual violence in armed conflict already constitutes an important criterion for designation of Security Council Sanctions on Yemen.

“The Council should also keep under constant review such crimes committed with impunity,” he said.

He added that Yemeni women, girls and children have already paid a high price in the conflict, with many having lost loved ones and others continuing to be denied the basic opportunity to lead a life free of violence.

Source: NDTV