Yemen Protests Trump Veto of Congressional Resolution to Stop Supporting Saudi War
YemenExtra
SH.A.
By: Ahmed Abdulkareem
Tens of thousands of Yemenis held demonstrations in the country’s capital, Sana`a, Hodeida, Sada`a and others provinces on Friday to condemn U.S. President Donald Trump’s veto of a U.S. congressional resolution directing him to end support for the Saudi-led Coalition’s war against Yemen.
In what can only be described as boost to the Saudi-led Coalition and a tragedy for the civilians of Yemen, Trump vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end the U.S. role in the devastating Yemen war, dismissing concerns raised by U.S. senators, human rights organizations, and global activists fighting to bring an end to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Friday’s demonstrations came in response to a call to action from the Houthi movement, the main force countering the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen. Protesters carried Yemeni flags and banners denouncing the United States for supporting the war and blockade against their country.
“My message is only to the American people: is spilling more Yemeni blood acceptable to you?” a man in his seventies told MintPress.
Protesters accused the U.S. of being complicit in alleged war crimes committed in Yemen, where thousands have died and millions have been forced to the brink of starvation.
“There is no difference between the vampires and Donald Trump. Trump is a real character who insists on sucking more Yemeni blood,” a young protester told MintPress.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed AbdullSalam held the United States responsible for the “massacres, crimes and the unjust siege of Yemen” and told a crowd of protesters that Trump’s veto “proves that the United States is not only involved in the war on Yemen but also was behind the decision to go to war.”
Trump on trial for murder in Hodeida,
Demonstrations across Yemen also commemorated the first anniversary of the death of former President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Saleh al-Sammad, who was killed with his bodyguards on April 19, 2018 by Saudi airstrikes in Hodeida. Demonstrators carried Yemeni flags, photos of al-Sammad, and banners emblazoned with messages of steadfastness and promises to take revenge on leaders of the Saudi-led Coalition.
In the Sada`a province in northern Yemen, hundreds of thousands took to the streets despite the ever-present Saudi warplanes hovering above. Houthi air defenses eventually shot down one of the Saudi drones circling the area over the Bani Mu’ath district, the birthplace of al-Sammad. The remains of the drone were later found scattered in a field once owned by al-Sammad.
The drone was identified as a Wing Loong drone, a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in China. In March 2017, China announced it would deliver 300 Wing Loong II to Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, a specialized criminal court in Hodeida governorate began the trial of 62 defendants charged for their role in assassinating Yemen’s former president al-Sammad. Defendants include the president of the United States, Donald Trump.