Hope grows for extension to truce in Yemen as talks loom

Yemen’s two-month ceasefire could be extended, government officials told The National yesterday, after the Houthi rebels said they were “not opposed” to the move.

The UN-brokered truce began on April 2, at the start of Ramadan, and has largely held despite accusations that the rebels have breached the agreement.

It is set to expire in about two weeks.

Part of the deal is lifting the rebels’ siege on Taez, a city in south-west Yemen that has been cut off from the rest of the country. Another element was restarting commerical flights from the airport in Sanaa.

“The government is committed to the truce and is aiming to extend it for two months,” a government official said.

“However, without progress in Taez, it’s going to be very hard to justify the extension of the truce.

“The international community needs to pressure the Houthis to achieve progress and lift the siege on Taez, and this would be the tone-setter for the next steps.”

The official said the ceasefire was a step in the right direction, “but it wouldn’t have taken place without the government’s flexibility”.

The two sides are set to meet tomorrow to discuss the situation in Taez and the possible resumption of flights between Cairo and Sanaa, the official said.

They said that if the rebels agreed to compromise, it would give UN envoy Hans Grundberg time to propose a way forward.

“However, if the Houthis will continue to use humanitarian suffering to achieve political gains and continue to exploit UN efforts and the government’s flexibility, then the war will be prolonged,” the official said.

Mr Grundberg said last week that the truce had a “considerable positive impact on the daily lives of many Yemenis”.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015 at the request of the internationally recognised government led by Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

Mr Hadi stepped down as president last month to make way for a presidential council created after intra-Yemeni talks in Riyadh.

The Houthis rejected the choice of venue and refused to take part.