New York, NY, December 13, 2018 — Today, for the first time in history, the US Senate voted to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end US support to the Saudi- and Emirati-led coalition in the war in Yemen. This historic vote comes in the wake of yesterday’s Sweden peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties, a testament to mounting international pressure for an end to the war and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. 80 percent of the population in need of aid and 12 million people are on the brink of famine.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said:
“The IRC welcomes this historic vote to end US support to the Yemen conflict – support that has prolonged and intensified this brutal war and resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe. Today, the Senate sent a powerful message to the Trump administration and to the parties to the war in Yemen that the US Congress will no longer blindly support a war that is morally bankrupt, strategically misguided, and deeply politically unpopular. 75 percent of Americans surveyed by the IRC and YouGov are opposed to US military support to the Saudi and Emirati-led Coalition in Yemen. The US Senate is finally voting in line with what its constituents want. Together with the Sweden talks, this an important step toward ending this war and meaningfully addressing the unimaginable human suffering inside Yemen.”