Support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen: US no longer fuels aircraft

In the war in Yemen, where an international coalition headed by Saudi Arabia is attacking the Houthi rebels. The US is no longer fuelling the Saudi aircraft. That was what Saudi Arabia announced today and was confirmed by Washington.

The support of the US to this devastating war is becoming increasingly difficult to justify. In Yemen, one of the worst humanitarian crises of the moment rages. Whether the US decision will have a major impact? According to Riyadh, the coalition itself is able to supply the aircraft during their flight. The decision would also have happened “in consultation with the US”, it still lauded.

Affaire-Khashoggi
The war in Yemen has raged for years, but since the Khashoggi affair the pressure on Saudi Arabia has increased to end this conflict. Both from the US and from the United Kingdom there was already an appeal to the warring parties to stop the hostilities. But both countries are themselves involved in the war, which makes their position difficult to defend. In addition to fuel, the US also supplies military intelligence and weapons to Saudi Arabia.

Yemeni civil war
In 2011, the Shiite Houthis revolted against the government that mainly consists of Sunnis. The uprising was quickly suppressed and the conflict escalated into a gruesome civil war. In 2015, other Sunni countries, including Saudi Arabia, started to flee and the first air strikes were carried out. Meanwhile, other countries are also involved, including the US and the United Kingdom.

©Reuters