Member of the Supreme Political Council in Sana’a, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, welcomed the announcement by one of the members of the Presidential Leadership Council loyal to the Saudi-led coalition, Sultan Al-Arada, about the re-opening of the Ma’rib-Nihm-Sana’a road.
In a post on his account on the X platform, Al-Houthi said that “ending the siege on Sana’a by the US-British-Saudi-Emirati coalition and its allies by announcing the opening of the Ma’rib-Sana’a road is good if it continues and allows the Yemenis to cross it in the future.”
جيد إنهاء الحصار على #صنعاء من قبل التحالف الأمريكي البريطاني السعودي الاماراتي وحلفائه
باعلان فتح طريق مارب صنعاء الفرضة
اذا استمر وسمح لليمنيين بالعبور منه مستقبلا
و إن شاء الله نرى ذلك ايضا في المنفذين الآخرين طريق مارب_صرواح صنعاء
و مارب _البيضاء وندعوهم إلىالاستمرار في فك… pic.twitter.com/jvnnEK89lN— محمد علي الحوثي (@Moh_Alhouthi) February 22, 2024
Al-Houthi expressed his hope that the coalition forces would open the other two crossings, the Ma’rib-Serwah-Sana’a and Ma’rib-Bayda roads.
He also called for lifting the siege on the rest of the roads in all provinces, removing the militarisation of the roads, and releasing those kidnapped from the roads who were arrested during transit while traveling during the past years.
In February 2020, Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi announced Sana’a’s readiness to open the Sana’a-Ma’rib road via Nihm District, but this announcement did not receive a response at the time from the coalition forces.
The Ma’rib-Nihm-Sana’a road had been shut down by the Saudi invaders and their allies ever since 2015, as part of the blockade against the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. The reopening of the road for the first time in almost nine years marks a major de-escalation and major stride towards possible peace.
