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A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 4 June 2022
U.N. says Yemen’s warring parties agree to renew truce

By NOHA ELHENNAWY sides have yet to agree
Associated Press on a framework for lifting
CAIRO (AP) — The United the blockade on the key
Nations said Thursday that city.Fighting, airstrikes and
Yemen’s warring parties bombardment have sub-
have agreed to renew a sided since the truce first
nationwide truce for anoth- started in early April, and
er two months. The devel- the rebels have ceased
opment offered a glimmer their cross-border attacks
of hope for the country, on Saudi Arabia and the
plagued by eight years of United Arab Emirates, the
civil war though significant two pillars of the Saudi-led
obstacles remain to lasting coalition.
peace. The Norwegian Refugee
The cease-fire between Ye- Council’s Yemen director,
men’s internationally rec- Erin Hutchinson, expressed
ognized government and hopes that the cease-fire
the Iran-backed Houthi would lead to the reopen-
rebels initially came into ef- ing of roads so that human-
fect on April 2. And though itarian aid can reach those
each side at times ac- in need and so that more
cused the other of violating displaced Yemenis could
the cease-fire, it was the return to their homes.
first nationwide truce in the Many Yemenis and ob-
past six years of the conflict servers point to the fact
in the Arab World’s most that fighting has been re-
impoverished nation. A Yemen Airways plane, the first commercial flight in six years from Yemen’s rebel-held capital is duced, but not completely
The announcement, which greeted with a water spray salute at the Sanaa international airport, part of a fragile truce in the stopped. According to the
is the outcome of U.N. ef- county’s grinding civil war, in Sanaa, Yemen, May, 16, 2022. Norwegian humanitarian
forts, came only few hours Associated Press group, the original truce re-
before the original truce sulted in a more than 50%
was set to expire later on Antonio Guterres said that flected “courageous lead- besieged city of Taiz, es- drop in the number of ci-
Thursday. “regional and international ership” in endorsing and tablishing two commercial vilian casualties in the first
“The truce represents a sig- support will remain critical implementing the U.N.-led flights a week between Sa- month.
nificant shift in the trajecto- for the continuation and truce. naa and Jordan and Egypt, The head of the Gulf Coop-
ry of the war and has been successful implementation His remarks came as over- and also allowing 18 vessels eration Council, Nayef al-
achieved through respon- of the truce.” riding U.S. strategic interests carrying fuel into the port of Hajraf, also welcomed the
sible and courageous deci- The fighting in Yemen in oil and security have re- Hodeida. Both Sanaa and truce extension, expressing
sion making by the parties,” erupted in 2014, when the cently pushed the adminis- Hodeida are controlled by hopes it would be condu-
U.N. Special Envoy for Ye- Houthis descended from tration to rethink the arms- the Houthi rebels. cive to a comprehensive
men Hans Grundberg said their northern enclave and length stance that Biden Later Thursday, the Ye- peace. The Saudi-based
in a statement. He said he took over the capital of pledged to take with the meni government’s presi- GCC representing Bah-
will mediate between the Sanaa, forcing the inter- Saudis as a candidate for dential council expressed rain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
warring parties to solidify nationally recognized gov- the White House. its support for the U.N. en- Saudi Arabia and the UAE
the new truce and to try to ernment to flee into exile in Biden’s initial position was voy’s efforts and reiterated makes economic policies
eventually reach a political Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led provoked by the grue- that that Houthis must be for the bloc, serving as a
settlement to end the con- coalition entered the war in some 2018 killing at the prompted to re-open roads Sunni-led Arab counter-
flict. early 2015 to try to restore Saudi Consulate in Turkey around Taiz, according to weight to Shiite power Iran.
President Joe Biden wel- the government to power. of U.S.-based journalist Ja- the state-run SABA news The European Union’s del-
comed the development The conflict, which eventu- mal Khashoggi, a critic of agency. egation to Yemen wel-
and stressed that ending ally descended into a proxy the de facto Saudi ruler, In a statement, Mahdi comed the move in a
the war in Yemen has been war between Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed al-Mashat, head of the tweet and underscored
a priority of his adminis- and Iran, has killed over bin Salman. Khashoggi Houthis supreme political the importance of lifting
tration. “I urge all parties 150,000 people, including was killed by a team of council which runs rebel- the Taiz blockade.
to move expeditiously to- over 14,500 civilians, and Saudi agents, including in- held areas, said the Houthis Earlier, U.N. spokesman
wards a comprehensive created one of the world’s dividuals who worked for decided to “respond posi- Stephane Dujarric said
and inclusive peace pro- worst humanitarian crises, the crown prince’s office. tively” to the U.N. envoy’s Yemen’s humanitarian
cess. Our diplomacy will pushing millions of Yemenis His remains have not been push to renew the truce needs remain high despite
not rest until a permanent to the brink of famine. found. in order “to alleviate the improvements since the
settlement is in place,” he In his statement, Biden also The provisions of the origi- suffering” of the Yemeni truce, with some 19 million
said. lauded the Saudi govern- nal truce included reopen- people, and to allow more expected to face hunger
U.N. Secretary-General ment for what he said re- ing the roads around the time for the implementa- this year, including more
tion of all provisions includ-
than 160,000 who will face
LIKE US ON ed in the original cease-fire famine-like conditions.
“Aid agencies need $4.28
agreement.
In recent weeks, commer- billion to assist 17.3 million
cial flights have resumed people across the coun-
from Sanaa, and fuel ship- try this year,” but only 26%
ments have arrived. How- of that amount has been
ever, the opening of the funded, he said, urging do-
Facebook.com/arubatoday/ roads around Taiz remains nors to pledge money and
a contested issue and both turn pledges into cash.q