Ramadan: An opportunity for peace

This week saw the start of the holy month of Ramadan. A time for reflection, for spending time with family and friends and for peace. However, this year many Yemenis will be spending Ramadan without adequate food, water, shelter, electricity and healthcare and fearing for the safety of their loved ones. This month, like the 15 months of conflict before it will be a time of worry and suffering for many Yemeni families. The UN estimates that 21 million people in Yemen currently need humanitarian assistance and that 2.8 million Yemenis are internally displaced.

Now more than ever is the time for both sides to this conflict to take a step back from the fighting and make real efforts towards a peace deal. The talks in Kuwait have been going on for 49 days now. The fact that parties are still engaged in discussions is of course a positive sign. However, I urge the delegations to use the opportunity of Ramadan to engage constructively and with renewed urgency to bring peace and security to Yemen.

Forces on the ground must abide by the ongoing Cessation of Hostilities. I was sickened by the shelling of civilians in a Taiz marketplace last week. This was an appalling attack which was in violation of the Cessation of Hostilities and most likely an attempt to destabilise talks. These attacks cannot continue. We will identify the perpetrators and hold them to account.

Many Yemenis including political opposition figures, activists and journalists will be spending this Ramadan in Houthi captivity. An Amnesty International report released last month detailed the crackdown and detention of Yemenis who were opposed to the Houthi takeover of state institutions. These people and all those unlawfully held during this conflict must be released.

I am encouraged by the recent deal reached in Kuwait to release child prisoners. This is just a first step. We now need an agreement which allows for all prisoners to be released and ideally by the end of Ramadan. These are human beings, not bargaining chips. No-one aspiring to be considered a good Muslim has any business detaining people without due process or cause, abusing them and holding them incommunicado. Again, they must not be allowed to do this with impunity.

I will be spending Ramadan in Kuwait working alongside colleagues in the international community and providing support to the UN Special Envoy. In addition to our work in Kuwait, the UK has also doubled its humanitarian aid to Yemen to £85million this year. We have helped more than 1.3 million Yemenis providing life-saving assistance such as medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting refugees and migrants.

Yemen is in desperate need of humanitarian assistance but above all else Yemen is in desperate need of peace. I truly hope that by next Ramadan, the British Ambassador can write his well wishes sat in our Embassy in Sana’a alongside Yemeni friends and colleagues.

Ramadan Kareem