In Geopolitics Today - Monday, June 21st
War in Yemen Turns Sour as Huthi Rebels Threaten Marib and Spain to Pardon Jailed Catalan Independence Leaders
War in Yemen Turns Sour as Houthi Rebels Threaten Marib
After a short lull in fighting at the start of the year, violence has flared again between government forces and Houthi rebels over the strategic city of Marib in northern Yemen. This latest flare-up has reportedly left 47 dead.
Earlier this month, officials from Oman visited Sana’a to try to mediate between the rebels and the government in the hopes of brokering a ceasefire. However, these diplomatic efforts appear to have been mostly in vain as armed conflict resumes throughout Yemen. Even the UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, informed the Security Council that "the parties have not resolved their differences."
At the same time, unverified reports from the Yemeni Armed Forces suggest that a US ScanEagle drone may have been shot down by the air defences of the Yemeni Army in Marib province. The rebels are seeking to seize control of Marib, the last stronghold of the Yemeni government in the north, which is surrounded by very lucrative oil fields.
While diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in Yemen had seen a period of intensification over the last month or so, there have also been in parallel a contest for control over key territories in a bid by each side to hold the upper hand in any negotiations.
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Spain to Pardon Jailed Catalan Independence Leaders
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has announced that his government will issue pardons this week to nine jailed Catalan political leaders who participated in the organisation of the October 2017 independence referendum. The nine Catalan politicians and activists were jailed for the crimes of sedition and misuse of funds, and the verdicts caused protests across Catalonia.
The move was announced in a speech today at the Liceu Opera House in Barcelona, where the tone struck was one of national reconciliation between Catalonia and Spain, leaving behind ‘confrontation’. The lecture Sánchez gave was titled Reencuentro, meaning ‘reunion’ or ‘reunited,’ and his words were mostly conciliatory throughout his speech.
But the Supreme Court has issued a report to say that it opposes granting pardons to the jailed leaders, while acknowledging that an 1870 law stipulates that responsibility lies with the Spanish government to decide whether to grant them.
The court considered there were no reasons based on ‘justice, fairness or public utility’ to grant pardons to the jailed leaders. Magistrates emphasised ‘no evidence of remorse’ when considering that the existing prison sentences of 9-13 years imprisonment to be proportionate.
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