Saudi-led Yemen forces announces ceasefire in fight against Houthi rebels

Houthi gunmen Tribal gunmen brandish their weapons during a gathering to show support to the Houthis in Saada | AFP

A Saudi military spokesperson, Colonel Turki al-Malki, via a statement carried by Saudi Arabia’s official state news agency announced that the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen would begin a ceasefire beginning Thursday. He added that the ceasefire would last two weeks and that it comes in response to UN calls to halt hostilities amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Al-Malki said that the ceasefire could be extended so that all parties are able “discuss proposals, steps, and mechanisms for a sustainable ceasefire in Yemen ... for a comprehensive political solution in Yemen”.

The move could be the first step towards initiating direct peace talks between the two sides that have been at war for more than five years.
 
As per government officials and tribal leaders, heavy fighting in Yemen between coalition-backed government forces and the Houthis killed more than 270 people the past 10 days. The decision for a ceasefire comes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on March 23 said called for a ceasefire in all global conflicts, responded to the decision by the Saudi-led forces by saying, “This can help to advance efforts towards peace as well as the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic”.

“Only through dialogue will the parties be able to agree on a mechanism for sustaining a nation-wide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic confidence-building measures to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people, and the resumption of the political process to reach a comprehensive settlement to end the conflict,” Guterres said in a statement. Guterres, who said that the world currently faces a common enemy—COVID-19, also added that warring parties in 11 countries responded positively to his appeal for a global ceasefire, with a view to giving priority to tackling the virus.

Neither the Houthi leaders nor Yemen’s internationally government reacted to the ceasefire announcement.

Hours after the announcement, residents in the conflicted Marib province in Yemen said a missile struck a security building in the city centre. No casualties were reported.

Yemen’s government-led forces in coalition with Saudi Arabia and the Houthis militants have been in dispute over the key province of Jawf and the oil-rich central province of Marib.


Escalation of the fighting coincided with Saudi intercepting a missile targeted by the Houthis on the Kingdom’s capital of Riyadh in March. The war has proved costly for Saudi Arabia and has damaged its image abroad.