Morocco Stops Involvement in Yemen War Amid Saudi Row

Morocco stops involvement in Yemen war amid row with Saudi Arabia

Fri Feb 8, 2019 07:41AM [Updated: Fri Feb 8, 2019 07:45AM ]

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Undated photo of four F-16 jet fighters operated by the Moroccan army
Undated photo of four F-16 jet fighters operated by the Moroccan army

Morocco says it has stopped its involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen, and recalled its ambassador to the kingdom amid rising tensions between Riyadh and Rabat.

A Moroccan government official said Thursday that Morocco no longer takes part in military interventions or ministerial meetings in the Saudi-led coalition.

Morocco’s government has not divulged details of its participation in the war which has killed thousands and displaced over 3 million people since 2015 but reports suggest that the African country contributed with six planes and 1,500 troops.

Last year, Morocco pledged to pull its warplanes out of the Saudi war, citing a need for military buildup at home.

PressTV-‘Morocco to pull warplanes from Saudi-led coalition’

PressTV-‘Morocco to pull warplanes from Saudi-led coalition’Morocco is reportedly to pull its warplanes out of a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which has been pounding Yemen for more than three years now, citing a need for military buildup at home.

Saudi Arabia invaded the Arab world’s most impoverished nation in March 2015 to put Riyadh’s favorite former government back in the saddle. It has fallen short of the objective, while thousands have been killed and displaced as a result of the invasion.

Before Morocco, Malaysia had withdrawn its forces and left the coalition amid international outrage over the heavy civilian toll.

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Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said in an interview last month with Al Jazeera that Morocco’s participation in Yemen had “changed.”

Bourita also hinted that Rabat had serious reservations about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent tour of other Arab countries, amid international condemnation of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

According to one of the sources, Morocco declined to host the Saudi crown prince in an unusual snub, citing the Moroccan king’s “busy agenda.”

After Bourita’s interview, Saudi television channel Al-Arabiya aired a documentary on the disputed Western Sahara, supporting claims that Morocco invaded it after Spanish colonizers left in 1975. Morocco considers the Western Sahara its southern territories.

The Polisario Front militants aim to end Morocco’s presence in the Saharan region. They recently said they sought to set up a “capital” in the region, prompting Rabat to caution it would respond with force.

The announcement violates a 1991 United Nations-brokered truce between the militants and Moroccan forces. In line with the agreement, the final status of the disputed territory is to be decided by a referendum, which has never gone underway.

PressTV-UN chief pushes for constructive Western Sahara talks

PressTV-UN chief pushes for constructive Western Sahara talksUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on all parties meeting to discuss the long-running Western Sahara dispute this week in Geneva to be constructive.

Morocco recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia for consultations after the report was aired, according to another Moroccan government official.

Tension between Riyadh and Rabat further heightened last June when Saudi Arabia ruined the North African country’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup.

It was Saudi Arabia that “led an all-out campaign” in favor of an opposite bid to host the 2026 World Cup by the United States, Canada and Mexico, Moroccan media said at the time.

Moroccan officials said Saudi Arabia, a long-time ally of their country, was very influential in nixing the success of their bid to host the tournament.

Saudi Arabia apparently led other Arab countries, especially wealthy states in the Persian Gulf, vote against the North American bid. The move came despite a promise in April by the Arab League to back Morocco’s bid.

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Malaysia withdrawing troops from Saudi-led military coalition: Defense minister

Thu Jun 28, 2018 04:22PM [Updated: Thu Jun 28, 2018 05:08PM ]

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This file photo shows Malaysian soldiers in Kota Kinabalu city in Malaysia.
This file photo shows Malaysian soldiers in Kota Kinabalu city in Malaysia.

Malaysia says it is pulling its troops out of the Saudi-led military coalition, which has been relentlessly pounding impoverished Yemen in an imposed war for the past three years.

“The Cabinet made the decision (to bring soldiers home) last week. We are waiting for the preparations carried out by the Armed Forces,” Malaysia’s Defense Minister Mohamad Sabu told journalists in a select media interview at the ministry in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

“We are also waiting for the cooperation from the Foreign Affairs Ministry that will assist in the move,” he added.

Saudi Arabia and some 20 of its allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan, launched a brutal war, code-named Operation Decisive Storm, against Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen’s former president and an staunch ally of Riyadh, and crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The Houthi movement, which is a significant aid to the Yemeni army in defending the country against the invading forces, has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective administration during the past three years.

The military aggression against the impoverished nation was initially consisted of a bombing campaign but later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces into Yemen.

The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights announced in a statement on March 25 that the war had left 600,000 civilians dead and injured until then. The war and the accompanying blockade have also caused famine across Yemen.

The Saudi-led aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories. The United Nations has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in need of food aid, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger.

PressTV-5,000 families displaced in Yemen’s Hudaydah: UNThe UN says nearly 5,000 families displaced in Yemen’s flashpoint province of Hudaydah.

“Malaysia remains a friend of the countries as well as their neighbors. [However,] we don’t want to be part of the conflict with Saudi Arabia’s neighboring countries,” Sabu added.

Separately, Malaysian National News Agency, Bernama, quoted the defense minister as saying that his country could be dragged indirectly into the Saudi-led war on Yemen by dint of its military troops being stationed there by the previous Barisan Nasional administration.

Unlike the incumbent defense minister, his predecessor, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, had sought to assure Malaysians in March last year that the Southeast Asian country would not be affected by the Saudi-led war, claiming that the troops were there for humanitarian purposes.

Malaysian troops have been in Saudi Arabia since 2016, when the brutal war triggered a deadly cholera outbreak in Yemen, which has already killed thousands of people.

Several Western countries, the United States and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.

Comments (36)

as19912018.06.30 15:37The number of Yemenis in need of support in terms of food and other basic needs is high, so Saudi Arabia has donated large amounts of money literally billions to support them through this crisis which is caused by rebels,Reply+0-0

Israel is fake state2018.06.29 08:51too late you all ready did damage MalaysiaReply+0-0

Guldar Tate2018.06.29 03:35I didn’t know Malaysia had troops involved in this genocide. Shame on them.Reply+0-0

Nabila> Guldar Tate2018.06.29 12:52I agree I did not knew Malaysia had sent its troops either. Yes shame on them. I support the Yemenis.Reply+0-0

Nasir Ali Wilayeti2018.06.29 03:05KSA is advocating Democracy……. Isn’t it a Joke….. Hahahaha

Malaysian accepted defeat from Shoes less Yemanies people who have strong faith on Almighty AllahReply+0-0

Ash F.2018.06.28 23:58Get your facts straight. Houthi are not defending the country, they are only defending themseleves to get what they want from the country. Saudi Arabia isn’t any better, prolonging this war to get control of Yemen resources as well.
Malaysia with their new government are trying to rebuilt their country and get rid of bad decisions made by the previous PM.Reply+0-0

Wan Mahmud2018.06.28 23:57Previous govt led by Najib was corrupted and bought by Saudi. 
Congratulations to the new govt
PM Mahathir, DM Mohamad Sabu & the new team!Reply+0-0

Monroe Reimers2018.06.28 20:29Amazing that Malaysia joined these criminals in the first place. Isnt Malaysia supposed to be one of the nations that stands up to the Zionist entity? Then what is it doing joining with the Zionist lackey Saudi Arabia? They should be fighting for Yemen if they had any integrity.Reply+3+3-0

fred2018.06.28 18:40Malaysian government was a fool by joining these criminal group lead by the head chopper S.Arabia.it is a shame but it’s good that they have come to their senses.

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