Both “the group” and the conference commented on these measures as being taken to prevent chaos and the exploitation of political occasions to create disorder with the help of external parties. They stated that the relationship between the allies (Ansar Allah and the Conference Party) stems from national covenants that cannot be operated without. The events in Sana’a were pre-emptive security operations to prevent external plans that had set specific dates to implement their plots amidst atmospheres described as celebratory.
Observers believe that the measures taken by the security apparatus in the Salvation Government were pre-emptive to prevent the external plan, which was led by conference leaders from inside the northern regions and receiving orders from abroad. Initially, Dr. Hamid Abdul Qader, advisor to the Salvation Government in the Yemeni capital Sana’a, said: “There are no disagreements between Ansar Allah and their allies from the General People’s Congress who are in the trench of confrontation against global arrogance forces, and who have stood with the nation since the beginning of the global aggression against Yemen. Ansar Allah warns the ‘Afafish’ (supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh) abroad who have succumbed to aggression of a new plan targeting Yemen with support from normalization countries, Washington, and the Zionist entity (Israel), who want to move their mercenary tools to ignite the fronts to serve the entity and distract Ansar Allah from supporting Gaza.”
He added in his conversation with “Sputnik”: “But the conference members inside are partners with Ansar Allah in confronting aggression, and they have known the plan and issued a statement from the General People’s Congress not to hold the celebration for the founding of the conference to thwart any conspiracy targeting Yemen. The statement of the General People’s Congress inside, which carried a strong message against the aggression, is an honorable stance accounted for them.”
Abdul Qader confirmed that “the political forces that are partners with Ansar Allah in confronting aggression are agreed upon, and there is absolutely no disagreement between them.” He pointed out that “there are warnings from national political forces to those who have succumbed to aggression against any conspiracy targeting Yemen because today’s Yemen is not yesterday’s Yemen. Any state involved in targeting Yemen will have the battle transferred to the depth of that state or through its involvement in supporting any party to target the social fabric in service of the occupying entity. We affirm that Yemen is cohesive and there is no fear for it, and the American-Israeli project has failed to achieve its goals and plans.”
In turn, the General People’s Congress in the north responded with a statement a few days ago, received by “Sputnik”, expressing its happiness to celebrate the forty-third anniversary of its founding on the twenty-fourth of August. It extended warm congratulations to all leaders, bases, cadres, members, and supporters of the General People’s Congress throughout Yemen on this occasion, which represents one of the most significant turning points in Yemeni political history. It was the establishment of the first Yemeni political party with its own identity and not linked to any external ideologies or theories, unlike the emergence of other forces at the time, deriving its goals, principles, and charter from the spirit of true Islam.
The statement said: “What is happening in the Gaza sector by the Zionist occupation state (Israel), supported by America, is a full-fledged genocide war according to the United Nations Charter, international and humanitarian laws and covenants. It is truly regrettable that it is taking place in the sight and hearing of the world, which sees everything happening to the people of Gaza and the Palestinian people and continues the disgraceful silence despite claims that humanity is living in its most prosperous periods of civilization as they claim.”
The statement added: “The General People’s Congress, while renewing its supportive and backing stance for the heroic actions undertaken by the Yemeni armed forces in support of our brothers in Gaza as a religious, humanitarian, and moral duty, confirms that the stance of our people, government, and state, led by the mujahid Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin al-Houthi, will be recorded in history with letters of light. It is a stance that sprang from awareness, insight, and belief in the necessity and importance of bearing responsibility before God, Islam, and the human conscience. The Yemeni people rose to support the Palestinian people and the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip with all available military, political, and media capabilities, realizing that this is the least that should be done amidst this shameful Arab, Islamic, and global silence regarding crimes being committed against humanity without deterrence against the child and women killers among the leaders and soldiers of the occupying state.”
The General People’s Congress renewed “the confirmation that its alliance with Ansar Allah in confronting aggression is a position based on a solid foundation of preserving Yemen’s unity, sovereignty, and independence, confronting aggression and blockade, and rejecting external interventions and guardianship over our people from any party. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining the unity of the internal front and rejecting any harm to it by avoiding campaigns of treachery and false accusations and confirming the unity of the Yemeni people’s stance on various issues, particularly the issue of supporting and advocating for Gaza and its inhabitants, who face genocide by the Zionists.”
Dr. Ali al-Zanam, a member of the House of Representatives in Sana’a, stated: “What is rumored about disagreements between Ansar Allah and the General People’s Congress in Sana’a, the truth is that this matter should not be generalized in the way it was taken up by the media, as this matter pertains to state procedures and what information it has regarding a particular topic related to pure security aspects and a group of individuals planning to create chaos at a certain time. The measures taken by the government are aimed at maintaining Yemen’s security and stability against any external interventions, so a range of preventive measures was taken in this regard.”
He added in his conversation with “Sputnik”: “It seems that there is evidence regarding a plan led by a group of individuals, who are few in number, relating to intelligence operations, and the tools of that group were about organizing events and exploiting them to incite public opinion, so measures were taken against these figures.”
Al-Zanam continued that “everything that happened on the scene was pointed out by Sayyid Abdul Malik al-Houthi in a disclosure to the people and was circulated through the media, stating that a group received money from abroad and intended to create chaos in the coming days through invitations to celebrate and others.”
Regarding whether this matter affects the relationship between “Ansar Allah” and the “General People’s Congress” in general, al-Zanam says: “I do not think that what happened affects the relationship between the two parties, as expressed in the statement issued by the party, which confirmed the partnership with Ansar Allah and all national forces. Therefore, there is nothing to disturb the harmony of the partnership except those news stories being circulated incorrectly by elements with external relations to create chaos in the country.”
In recent days, 15 people were killed and injured following clashes between the joint Yemeni forces and the “Ansar Allah” group in al-Dhale’ Governorate (central Yemen), which serves as a link between the northern and southern governorates. A Yemeni military source told “Sputnik” that confrontations broke out with medium weapons on the Bab Ghaleq front, west of Qatabah District, north of al-Dhale’, following an attempt by the group to advance with artillery cover towards military positions on the front lines.
It was reported that during the confrontations, the joint forces shelled with artillery the positions of “Ansar Allah” in the Hijar area in the Bab Ghaleq sector, north of al-Dhale’. According to the source, the confrontations, which lasted about an hour, resulted in the death of one soldier and the injury of four others, while three attackers (Ansar Allah) were killed and seven wounded, with no change in the field control map.
This field escalation between the forces comes after the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, expressed concern on July 9 about military activities in several governorates, including al-Dhale’, al-Jawf, Ma’rib, Taiz, and Saada, and movements of forces towards al-Dhale’, Ma’rib, and Taiz. He called on both sides of the conflict to “refrain from any unilateral activity that may harm all Yemenis.”
Yemen has been experiencing a fragile truce since the United Nations announced on October 2, 2022, that the Yemeni government and the “Ansar Allah” group had not reached an agreement to extend and expand the six-month ceasefire.
