Advertisement

Yemen's warring sides again renew truce for two months

The warring sides in Yemen's civil war have agreed to extend the truce first enacted in April another two months. File Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA-EFE
The warring sides in Yemen's civil war have agreed to extend the truce first enacted in April another two months. File Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA-EFE

Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The warring sides in Yemen's bloody civil war have agreed to extend their truce another two months, a top U.N. official said while expressing hope that an expanded agreement could be reached as soon as possible.

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, announced in a statement Tuesday that the nation's internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels had agreed to a second renewal of the U.N.-mediated truce, which first went into effect in April.

Advertisement

"The main objective of the current truce continues to be to provide tangible relief to civilians and to create a conducive environment for reaching a peaceful settlement to the conflict through a comprehensive political process," he said.

Along with the truce, the first two-month agreement included the resumption of a commercial international flight a week between Houthi-controlled Sanaa and each of Amman, Jordan, and Cairo, Egypt, while 18 fuel ships were also allowed to port in Rebel-controlled Hodeida.

Advertisement

Amid the two-months following the renewal in June, movement on achieving tangible agreements appears to have slowed with Grunberg including some of them for negotiations to be held between now and when the current truce is set to expire in October.

Specifics of Tuesday's truce renewal were not made immediately available, but Grundberg said it includes a commitment from both sides to "intensity negotiations" on expanding the agreement as soon as possible.

The U.N. official has presented a proposal on that expanded agreement, which includes a disbursement mechanism for regular payment of civil servant salaries and civilian pensions as well as the opening of roads to the southwestern Houthi-controlled city of Taiz and other governorates, a previous goal not yet achieved.

It also includes opening additional destinations for inbound and outbound flights from Sanaa International Airport and the regular flow of fuel to Hodeida ports.

"An expanded agreement would also provide an opportunity to negotiate a nationwide cease-fire, humanitarian and economic issues and to prepare for the resumption of the Yemeni-led political process under U.N. auspices to reach a sustainable and just peace," he said.

The truce extension, first renewed on June 2, was renewed as it was about to expire on Tuesday.

Advertisement

During the four-month truce, the U.N. says it has seen a 60% reduction in civilian casualties and a nearly 50% decrease in the displacement of civilians.

The Yemen civil war, which began in 2014 when Houthi rebels stormed the capital Sanaa, has turned the country into what the U.N. has described as "the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

According to the U.N.'s Yemen office, 24.1 million people, which represents 80% of its population, are in need of humanitarian aid and protection due to the fighting with more than 14 million in acute need.

As of the end of last year, the U.N. estimates 377,000 people have been killed in war.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that the United States welcomes the extension while urging both parties to "not let this opportunity pass" and build upon it lasting peace.

"The parties must work with Special Envoy Grundberg to urgently reach agreement on the expanded truce agreement he has presented," he said in a statement. "First and foremost, the Houthis must open major roads to Taiz, Yemen's third largest city, and alleviate the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who have been under siege-like conditions since 2015."

Advertisement

Norwegian Refugee Council's Yemen country director, Erin Hutchinson, remarked on how achievements have slowed in the last months while calling on the warring sides to ensure Yemenis will continue to enjoy the new-found peace that they have been experiencing.

"We hope this two-month extension will allow for the re-opening of roads linking cities and regions, enable more displaced people to return to their homes safely and ensure humanitarian aid can reach people who have been out of reach for far too long because of hostilities," Hutchinson said in a statement.

Latest Headlines