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Senators Sanders, Lee seek to end US role in Saudi war on Yemen

Thursday, 01 March 2018 2:36 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 01 March 2018 3:25 AM ]

Senators Mike Lee and Bernie Sanders introduce a joint resolution to remove US armed forces from hostilities by the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen on Capitol Hill February 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

Two senators are introducing a bill to end the Unites States’ intervention in the Saudi war on impoverished Yemen.

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and Republican Senator Mike Lee introduced a resolution on Wednesday afternoon to stop Washington’ support for the Saudi-led war.

“This legislation is neither liberal, nor conservative,” said Lee from the US state of Utah at a news conference. “It’s constitutional.”

The effort seeks to invoke the War Powers Resolution and end the US role in the war-ravaged country.

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It, however, excludes drone strikes the US military launches against al-Qaeda terrorists in the Arab world’s poorest nation.

The directive is clear: “Congress hereby directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen, except United States Armed Forces engaged in operations directed at al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or associated forces.”

According to Sanders, senator form the US state of Vermont, “If you look at the War Powers Act, what America is currently involved in constitutes a military action… That’s pretty clear.”

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have already voiced opposition for the US support for Riyadh, implicated in war crimes in the neighboring country, but it is still unclear whether the effort could garner enough votes.

“We have to deal with these conflict by conflict,” Lee said, while Sanders asserted that “If we can establish this principle, it will be a significant departure in policy for the United States.”

The resolution was introduced amid intensified Saudi airstrikes this week.

At least 13,600 people, most of them civilians, have been killed since Saudis launched the aggression in March 2015. Much of the Arabian Peninsula country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the war while hundreds of thousands have also been displaced as a result of the military operation, many of them now in dire humanitarian situation. The United Nations says a record 22.2 million people across Yemen are in need of food aid, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger.

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