The Yemeni Reform Party called on Sunday evening to implement the military and security part of the Riyadh Agreement signed between the Yemeni government and the UAE-backed Transitional Council, ruling out the possibility of forming a government first.
Muhammad al-Yadoumi, head of the Reform Yemeni Rally Party and advisor to the Yemeni president, said that the failure to implement the military and security part of the Riyadh Agreement was with excuses that are meaningless and do not serve anyone's interest, and it also makes the birth of the new government difficult, as he put it.
Al-Yadoumi noted in a statement that more than a year has passed since the signing of the agreement, and more than 3 months have passed since the announcement of a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement.
Al-Yadoumi criticized that mechanism, saying that it had decided to implement what was agreed to be delayed and to postpone what was agreed to be submitted under the pretext of ensuring the implementation of the agreement.
Hours earlier, the Southern Transitional Council threatened to end the ceasefire with the government, accusing it of waging a war of attrition against it, while the Yemeni army confirmed its commitment to the truce, stressing that its forces would deal aggressively with any violations.
At the end of last July, the Saudi-led coalition announced a mechanism to accelerate the implementation of the Riyadh Agreement, which includes the Transitional Council abandoning the Autonomous Administration in the southern governorates, and the formation of a government of equal competencies between the south and the north.
It also includes the continuation of the ceasefire, the departure of the military forces of Aden Governorate (south), the separation of the forces of the two parties in Abyan (south), and their return to their previous positions.
The government adheres to the implementation of the military and security part of the agreement first, while the council insists on starting the implementation of the political aspect, specifically forming a parity government.
During the past days, the military confrontations between the government forces and the Transitional Council intensified in Abyan Governorate, in an indication that the Saudi Monitoring Committee has stalled in the disengagement that has continued since May 11, while the government and the Transitional Council exchange accusations about the escalation.
Yemeni officials recently confirmed that the Emirati drones were shot down by the Transitional Council forces during their battles with the army in Abyan.