American president, Joe Biden, is set to cut off U.S. support for ‘offensive operations’ in Yemen and appoint a special envoy to try find a diplomatic solution to the 6 years of conflict that have laid waste to the country.
“This war has to end. To underscore our commitment, we’re ending all American support for offensive operations for the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales,” said Biden in a speech to the state department.
The war in Yemen has become a major flash point in the region after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen to try halt the advance of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. The war has since become a proxy war between the Gulf monarchies and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has also played an active part in the conflict attempting to establish itself more firmly in Arabia.
The war has led to a devastating famine and the United Nations has called the civil war in Yemen the ‘world’s worst humanitarian disaster’. Under President Trump the US had backed the Saudi and Emirati intervention as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to halt the spread of Iranian influence in the region.
The Biden administration clarified that the end of offensive operations in Yemen did not include US efforts to combat Al-Qaeda forces in the country and that these will continue.