Press release: Joint statement on 4th anniversary of Saudi intervention in Yemen

Today, on the fourth anniversary of the intervention by the Saudi-led Coalition into the conflict in Yemen at the invitation of the Government of Yemen, we call on both sides to urgently implement the agreements made at the Stockholm peace talks and end this dire conflict.

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, the largest in the world, has continued to worsen. The UK will continue to show leadership as part of international efforts to end the appalling suffering millions are facing.

This year we have committed an additional £200 million of UK aid, bringing our total commitment to over £770 million since the conflict began. This support will save lives by meeting the immediate food needs of more than 1 million Yemenis each month over the year, treating 30,000 children for malnutrition and providing more than 1 million people with improved water supply and basic sanitation.

We have been at the forefront of work towards a political solution to the conflict, leading on two UN Security Council Resolutions and bolstering international support for UN efforts to secure peace. Talks in Stockholm in December were a landmark point – the first time that the parties had come to the negotiating table in over two years. But there remains a serious risk that this window of opportunity to make progress towards lasting peace slips away. The UK urges both sides to act in good faith, cooperate with the UN Special Envoy and General Lollesgaard and rapidly implement the Stockholm Agreements.

We have been clear that a political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis. We will continue to make every effort to support the UN-led process to get to that solution.