UN Secretary-General António Guterres proudly announced yesterday a UN-brokered, two-month truce, ending all fighting in Yemen and all cross-border attacks. He commended the Saudi-recognized Government of Yemen, the Saudi-led Coalition, and the Houthi government in Sana’a for the initial agreement. He also urged all parties to make the necessary arrangements to support the successful implementation of the truce and to operationalize cooperation mechanisms without delay. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH_9ERJTwzA)
The agreement means the halting of all offensive military air, ground, and maritime operations inside Yemen and across its borders. Importantly, the Saudis will allow ships into Hudaydah port and commercial flights’ use of the Sana’a airport. Guterres commented: “This truce, which has the possibility of renewal, coincides with the start of the holy month of Ramadan. It opens the door to addressing Yemen’s urgent humanitarian and economic needs and creates a genuine opportunity to restart Yemen’s political process.” It “must be a first step to ending Yemen’s devastating war.”