A Yemeni fighter from the separatist Southern Movement, loyal to the government forces, pictured in the southern city of Aden © AFP/File / Saleh Al-Obeidi
Aden, Yemen, Oct 18 – The United Nations has announced a new ceasefire in war-ravaged Yemen from early Thursday, after a week of escalated fighting sparked new international calls to end the conflict.
While President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government and its Saudi backers said they would support the truce, there has been no word from the Iran-backed rebels who control the capital Sanaa and other areas of the Arabian Peninsula country.
A cessation of hostilities that first went into effect in April “will re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (2059 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal”, UN special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said late Monday.
Yemen has been rocked by war since the Shiite Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh overran Sanaa in September 2014.
The conflict escalated after a Saudi-led Arab coalition began a campaign against the rebels in March 2015.
Yemen has been rocked by war since the Shiite Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh overran Sanaa in September 2014 © AFP/File / Mohammed Huwais
The UN says the fighting has since killed almost 6,900 people, wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million, with civilians paying the heaviest price.
UNICEF’s representative in Sanaa, Mohammed al-Assadi, told reporters Sunday “10 million” children in Yemen need “water, food, medicine, social protection, and general services”.
The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy on Sunday urged the warring parties to declare a ceasefire.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mekhlafi welcomed the truce which he said will be extended if the rebels adhere to it, activate a truce observing committee, end a months-long siege of Taez and allow the city “unrestricted” humanitarian aid.
Before the UN announcement, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir also said Riyadh was in favour of a truce if the rebels respect it, the daily Asharq al-Awsat reported.
– Sixth truce attempt –
Yemeni children receive treatment at a hospital in the capital Sanaa on October 11, 2016 © AFP/File / Mohammed Huwais
This is the sixth attempt to establish a Yemen ceasefire.
The April truce declared in conjunction with the start of peace talks in Kuwait was hardly observed on the ground, with each side blaming the other for violations.
It collapsed as the talks ended in August with no breakthrough, prompting intensified fighting.
An October 8 air raid on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa killed 140 people and wounded 525, drawing severe criticism of the coalition which is backed logistically by the US.
In a rapid escalation, Washington accused the rebels of targeting American warships in the Red Sea on October 9 and 12 with missiles that fell short.
The US then hit radar sites in rebel-controlled territory in Washington’s first direct action against the insurgents.
However, de-escalation swiftly followed as the coalition on Saturday acknowledged one of its warplanes had “wrongly targeted” the Sanaa funeral based on “incorrect information”.
The Arab coalition stepped up its air raids and cross-border attacks from Yemen on Saudi Arabia intensified © AFP/File / Mohammed Huwais
It announced disciplinary measures, compensation for the families of victims and an easing of the air blockade to allow the most seriously wounded to be evacuated.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met his counterparts from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates along with the UN envoy to discuss Yemen.
He called for the unconditional implementation of a ceasefire before negotiations resume.
The UN envoy said this month he hoped to draft a new Yemen peace plan.
The coalition has carried out hundreds of air strikes and provided ground troops to support Hadi’s forces but has failed to dislodge the rebels from key areas.
Government forces have recaptured the south and east but have failed to make other significant advances while also coming under frequent attack from jihadists.
In Aden, where the government is now based, academic Mohammed Ibrahim who heads Aden University’s French language studies department was killed by a bomb at a library Tuesday, medical and security sources said.
It was unclear if he had been personally targeted.
In the past, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have attacked people for not complying with their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
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