LONDON — The United Kingdom has accused the Iranian-backed Houthi militia of blocking of the peace process in Yemen and of forcing children into battle. In a statement on Wednesday, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: "We continue to witness harrowing stories of Yemeni children being forced into battle and women being kidnapped in Houthi territory". He added: "The United Kingdom calls on the Houthis to meet with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY) and end their Marib offensive and the blocking of peace". Last week, the United States blamed the Houthis for stalling efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis. In a statement following the completion of the visit of US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking to Saudi Arabia and Oman, the US State Department said: "The Houthis passed up a major opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to peace and to make progress on this proposal by refusing to meet with UN Special Envoy Griffiths in Muscat." The US State Department also said that the Houthis contradicted their commitments to comply with the available "fair deal" to end the worsening humanitarian crisis by escalating their offensive on Marib.
