WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Donald Trump notified Congress on Monday that he intends to uphold a state of national emergency for Yemen that was issued by his predecessor in 2012.
"The actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Yemen and others continue to threaten Yemen’s peace, security, and stability, including by obstructing the political process in Yemen and the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provided for a peaceful transition of power that meets the legitimate demands of the Yemeni people for change," Trump wrote in a letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, according to a White House statement.
"For this reason I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13611 with respect to Yemen."
Yemen is in the throes of an ongoing war that began in 2015. The conflict pits government troops headed by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi against Houthi rebels, who are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes.
