The United States of America expressed condemnation of the assasination of an MP who represented Zaidi Shiite rebels known as Huthis at a national dialogue.
According to reports, the MP, Abdel Karim Jadban was assassinated on Friday in the Yemeni capital by two armed men as he was leaving a Sanaa mosque.
In a press statement in Washington DC, US Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said the US condemns the assasination of the Yemeni Member of Parliament and delegate to the National Dialogue Conference.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry also weighed in, saying, “We also condemn the ongoing clashes in Dammaj in northern Yemen.”
The US urged all parties to abide by a lasting cease-fire in Dammaj and to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross unfettered access to the area so the wounded may receive urgent medical care.
In addition, the US also called on all parties to refrain from inflaming sectarian tensions at the country’s critical moment in Yemen’s political transition.
Ms. Psaki emphasizes that the United States is firmly committed to supporting the Yemeni people as they seek to conclude the National Dialogue and move forward peacefully with Yemen’s historic democratic transition.
The Huthis whom the assasinated MP Abdel Karim Jadban represented in a dialogue just recently are a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. The rebel group are also referred to as a “powerful clan.” The Houthi brothers’ father named Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is hailed as the spiritual leader of the group.
Concerns About Yemen Increasing
Yemen is increasingly a source of concern for the United States and other Western countries, as the mixing of civil discontent and regional actors makes it vulnerable to terror groups such as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Shi’ite Houthi rebels.
In addition to fighting an ongoing civil war with the secessionist Houthis, the country has become a breeding ground for AQAP.
AQAP has been behind attacks on Yemeni soil and has used the country as a launching pad for terror attacks elsewhere.
In addition to the terror threat and domestic instability, Yemen faces poverty and severe oil and water shortages.
In February 2012, Yemen’s new President Abbed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi took his oath of office in parliament, formally removing Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after 33 years.
Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi ran in the uncontested race, a deal brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council to neutralize the conflict engulfing the country.
It is estimated that the recent political turmoil in Yemen, part of a wave of protests across the Middle East and North Africa calling for social, economic and democratic reforms, has led to more than 82 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
