On Tuesday, March 29th, 2022,
Lebanese media outlet al-Mayadeen
reported that the Saudi coalition
announced the cessation of military
operations in Yemen beginning 6am
the following Wednesday. Chairman
of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council,
Mahdi al-Mashat followed by
announcing the suspension of retaliatory
military actions against Saudi Arabia
for a period of three days leading to the
holy month of Ramadan. A two-month
truce between the two countries began
on Saturday, April 2nd, the first day of
Ramadan. United Nations Envoy to
Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced
that the truce would cease all offensive
military operations on Yemen by land,
air, and sea. The initiative also stipulated
lifting the blockade on Yemen. An
official statement released by the
supreme political council iterated that
their condition for a ceasefire is an end to the blockade on the country that prevents food,
fuel, and humanitarian aid from entering the country.
In March of 2021, Joe Biden announced that the United States would end its support
for the Saudi coalition’s offensive operations in Yemen. On January 21st, 2022, the
United Arab Emirates launched a military attack on Yemen’s civilian infrastructure. In
the rubble of a destroyed detention center, a missile fragment bearing the manufacturing
cage code for Raytheon Technologies was discovered. Raytheon Technologies is an
American weapons manufacturing company with its headquarters located in Waltham,
Massachusetts. According to Raytheon’s website, the company has been a partner in Saudi
Arabia’s “protection and development” for over 50 years. In 2017, the company established
Raytheon Arabia, a Saudi legal entity wholly-owned by Raytheon.
This latest step towards peace and sovereignty for Yemen was forged by its people’s seven
years of resistance against the Saudi coalition amidst famine, blockade, and the pandemic.
We demand that the Biden administration honor its promise of ending its support for
the war on Yemen. This can be achieved through forcibly stopping American weapons
manufacturing companies from continuing to arm the siege.
The government of Canada is also complicit in providing weapons and arms to Saudi
Arabia and the UAE. Since the beginning of the US-Saudi coalition war on Yemen in
2015, Canada has sold over $8 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia. We strongly demand
that the Trudeau Liberal government stops all arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, and Mobilization Against War &
Occupation (MAWO) salutes the Yemeni people for their resilience. We ask our supporters
to participate in social media campaigns #YemenCantWait to increase public awareness
and pressure on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States to end
the siege on Yemen and lift the blockade of the nation. While the calls for the ceasefire are
important, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States must be adamant that they will
not violate the ceasefire and ensure the blockade is lifted.
Statement Issued jointly on April 15, 2022 by:
Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality www.DefendersFJE.blogspot.com
Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) www.mawovancouver.org
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