Yemeni parliament approves call for ‘general mobilisation’ against Houthis

• Yemen’s internationally recognized government has moved to mobilize the population after major Houthi advances along the Red Sea coast, including the capture of Mocha and Mayyun Island.
• Rashad al-Alimi called for civilians to join government forces and offered an amnesty to Houthi fighters who defect, while pledging to restore government control over Sanaa and the wider country.

Yemen’s parliament has approved a declaration of general mobilization announced by Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, as government forces seek to counter a major Houthi offensive along the country’s western coast.

Al-Alimi announced the mobilization on Friday, calling on Yemenis to rally behind the internationally recognized government’s armed and security forces and contribute to the fight against the Houthis.

“I call upon the sons of our great people to engage in a general mobilization and national mobilization, to rally around their armed and security forces, join their ranks through official channels, and contribute each from their respective position in whatever way they can,” al-Alimi said.

The announcement follows significant Houthi advances in western Yemen this month. The group has captured the strategic port city of Mocha and Mayyun Island and strengthened its position around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

The developments have put additional pressure on the internationally recognized government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. Government forces have also faced renewed fighting in areas including Taiz and Marib.

Al-Alimi said the government's objective is to restore state institutions and extend its authority across Yemen, including Sanaa, which the Houthis seized in 2014.

“Our objective is clear to everyone both at home and abroad: to restore state institutions and exercise their sovereignty over the entire country, including Sanaa,” he said.

Alongside the mobilization call, al-Alimi offered a general amnesty to Houthi fighters and affiliates who abandon the group and stop fighting or working on its behalf.

The amnesty is subject to Yemen’s constitutional and legal procedures, with authorities also promising to regularize the status of former army and security personnel who defected to the Houthis while preserving legally acquired employment rights.

The government says the initiative is intended to provide a route for Houthi members to return without facing revenge or retaliation.

The renewed escalation has also affected Saudi Arabia, which has been targeted by Houthi missiles and drones. Saudi Arabia has reported intercepting Houthi projectiles in recent days as fighting intensifies in western Yemen.

The expansion of Houthi control along the Red Sea coast has broader regional significance because of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's major maritime chokepoints. Its position between Yemen and Djibouti gives control of the area strategic importance for shipping between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The escalation has also deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Recent reporting has cited more than 133,000 people displaced by the renewed fighting, while UN agencies have warned of worsening food insecurity and child malnutrition.