Ethiopian Women Allegedly Exposed to Sexual Slavery in Yemen

Ethiopian women attempting to cross from Yemen to Saudi Arabia are reportedly falling victim to "sexual slavery" and abuse at the hands of Houthi forces and Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters, according to Yemen’s Mwatana for Human Rights. A member of Mwatana said that migrant women face sexual violence and harassment by all Yemeni parties on the ground, Middle East Eye reported on Thursday. More than 77,000 migrants have arrived in Yemen, seeking to cross into Saudi Arabia to find work opportunities.

In its first meeting with the government team in years, the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement (UNMHA) expressed regret over the exploitation of the Stockholm Agreement to militarize Hodeida. The mission called on all parties to the Stockholm Agreement to cooperate towards achieving lasting peace in the province. UNMHA emphasized the importance of unimpeded access for civilians, goods, and services as well as bridging the gap between Yemenis living in government-controlled areas and those under Houthi control.

Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, held talks with the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council President, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Doha on Thursday. The Emir reiterated Qatar's commitment to supporting efforts to halt the ongoing conflict in Sudan to preserve its unity, security, and stability. Since April this year, thousands of people in Sudan have been killed and more than 7 million displaced, especially in Khartoum and Darfur.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, received his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi at his office in Riyadh on Thursday, Saudi media reported. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding which aims to boost cooperation in various fields to meet the two countries' aspirations. They also reviewed ways to enhance coordination in the political areas and bilateral and multilateral coordination.

The UN's special envoy for Yemen is optimistic that the warring parties in Yemen can reach a peaceful resolution that will end more than eight years of civil war. In an interview with Cairo-based Yemen Today, Hans Grundberg said his office is working to persuade both sides to resume talks to resolve points of contention and reach a comprehensive peace agreement. It has been nine years since Yemen slid into a civil war, and peace efforts have failed to settle the conflict.