Former British Ambassador: Saudi Arabia senses failure of its allies’ forces against the Houthis

The former British Ambassador, Edmund Brown, stated on Thursday that Saudi Arabia senses the failure of its affiliated Presidential Council government and factions’ forces in confronting Sana’a’s forces due to its military capabilities to the extent that it hinders the effectiveness of any action against them without external military intervention.

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This came during Ambassador Brown’s interview with the Saudi “Al-Hadath” channel, in which he confirmed that “taking any action against Sana’a without military intervention from Saudi Arabia and the coalition will not be easy; the Houthis are militarily strong, and if we leave the forces fighting the Houthis without international support, they will suffer as they have over the past seven years, since 2018, after the Stockholm Agreement.”

He added, “To express my point of view or vision, I must clarify what I prefer not to clarify. The issue of secession at this stage is not clear as to what its form will be, and it is not clear if secession can be implemented in Yemen.”

Brown continued: “Moreover, the two most important disputed areas in Yemen are Marib and Taiz, both of which were part of the Yemen Arab Republic (the North) before unification. So why would they give them up to the Houthis? No one would want that. Certainly, we want to prevent the Houthis from controlling any part of Yemen, and if the Houthis control a large part of what was known as North Yemen, they will control the Red Sea coast with Al-Hudaydah port and the other ports north of Al-Hudaydah. This would mean the Houthis could attack maritime shipping whenever they wish.”

The British Ambassador suggested that “America should intervene, reassemble the coalition, and ensure that both the Emirates and Saudi Arabia work together towards a common goal. We must return to the solution as it was in 2018 before the Stockholm Agreement, when the mercenary government was on the verge of controlling Al-Hudaydah port.”

In response to the host’s question about “to what extent can America support the so-called legitimacy at this moment to achieve this goal,” the British Ambassador answers, “The matter is not easy. This issue has been ongoing for over a decade, and their complexities—meaning the components of the Presidential Council—have increased over the past seven years since the Stockholm Agreement. From my perspective, some supporters continue their support, for example, the work led by Britain with the Yemeni Coast Guard, such as preventing the Iranians from delivering weapons to Ansar Allah. We need more of this engagement and work with the government to enhance efforts against the Houthis.”

He then added, reconsidering, “It is fair to say that the international community’s vision is not entirely clear. I believe American leadership is necessary because the Americans are capable of reassembling the coalition, just as they did regarding Gaza,” according to his expression.

The former British Ambassador also complained about the international community’s neglect of Yemen and downplayed reliance on the UN.