Canadian ministers call for end to Yemen conflict

Canada on Friday called on all parties to bring a permanent end to the ongoing conflict in Yemen.

“We deplore the ongoing violence, which has led to mass malnourishment, severe food insecurity, death and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis," Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a joint statement.

The ministers said Canada has provided $130 million of life-saving humanitarian aid to affected communities since the beginning of the conflict in 2015.

"We remain deeply concerned by reports that all parties to the conflict have repeatedly contravened international law and have obstructed humanitarian assistance," they said.

Freeland and Bibeau also called for "rapid and unimpeded" access for humanitarian assistance, and urged all parties to the conflict to fully comply with international humanitarian law.

"Canada welcomes the important work of Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Yemen, and fully supports efforts to resume talks toward a permanent and peaceful end to this conflict," the ministers added.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.