Statement: Win Without War Urges Passage of WPR to Uphold Truce, Accountability for Yemen

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WASHINGTON – Win Without War Government Relations Director Eric Eikenberry released the following statement in response to Rep. Jayapal, DeFazio, Schiff, and Mace’s new war powers resolution on Yemen, H.J.Res.87:

“We welcome Rep. Jayapal, DeFazio, Schiff, and Mace’s introduction of a war powers resolution that would cut off remaining spare parts, maintenance services, and other forms of logistical support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates’ war in Yemen.

“As a vital truce hangs in the balance, Congress must oppose policies that drag out the misery of this war while promoting accountability for its warring parties. We therefore urge House leadership to bring the measure to the floor, and for members to pass it, as they did in 2019.

“June could be a make-or-break month for efforts to end Yemen’s conflict and hold its warring parties accountable. The temporary truce between the conflict’s parties could end as early as June 2. A resumption of full-scale violence, including Saudi and UAE airstrikes in Yemen, would accelerate the war’s horrific death toll and, at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine wreaks havoc on global food supplies, once again risk pushing the country into widespread famine. Later in June, the UN human Rights Council will decide whether to reform the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, an expert panel that tracked human rights abuses in the conflict until the Saudis lobbied to have it killed during last fall’s Council session.

“The truce has already yielded real benefits – a 50 percent drop in civilian casualties, increases in fuel and food imports into the country, and the resumption of flights into and out of Sana’a airport. Likewise, the UN’s abandonment of an independent rights monitor for Yemen has yielded real costs, including an uptick in attacks on civilians by the Saudi/UAE-led coalition in late 2021 and early 2022.

“By passing a war powers resolution at this crucial moment, Congress would simultaneously signal that it expects the truce to build toward a lasting political settlement and that, if the international community is not yet ready to hold Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other parties accountable for their crimes in Yemen, U.S. lawmakers will.”

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Win Without War is a diverse network of activists and national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in the United States.