EU warns about 'dramatic escalation of hostilities' in Yemen

The European Union has expressed concerns about escalating tensions in Yemen, saying the crisis gripping the impoverished country needs a political solution not a military approach.

According to Press TV, in a statement released on Thursday, Maja Kocijancic, the EU Spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said Yemen has witnessed "a dramatic escalation of hostilities" in the past few weeks, resulting in many casualties and civilian infrastructure damage.

"This escalation runs against the commitment of all sides to a political solution of the conflict in Yemen and feeds into a vicious cycle of successive retaliations that risks to undermine the efforts of UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and put the resumption of peace talks in jeopardy," the statement read.

"There is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen. Only a negotiated, political solution through an inclusive process can put an end to the conflict and restore hope for stability and peace in the country and the region," it added.

The EU further supported a Wednesday statement by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the conflict in Yemen.

Guterres reminded the parties to the Yemen crisis that "a negotiated political settlement through inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue is the only way to end the conflict and address the ongoing humanitarian crisis."

Calling on all sides to refrain from further escalation, he noted that all potential violations of international humanitarian law should be thoroughly investigated.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a war on Yemen in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s former Riyadh-friendly government and against the Ansarullah Movement

The military campaign has martyred and injured over 600,000 civilians, according to the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights.

Several Western countries, the US and the UK in particular, are accused of being complicit in the aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment.

Yemeni forces regularly target positions inside Saudi Arabia in retaliatory attacks against the Riyadh-led military operation.

ME