After six months of application, the ceasefire agreement between the parties expired last night. The UN special envoy’s plan ran into opposition from the Houthis: they do not accept the renewal proposals, and they threaten Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. The government recognized by the international community asks for a strong hand against the “threats” of the pro-Iranian rebels.
Sanaa () – The United Nations special envoy for Yemen is in a race against the clock: he is trying to renew the truce between the Houthi rebels and the government, which expired last night, after six months of uncertain and fragile implementation. The risk is that a failure of diplomacy could reignite the conflict. In fact, the leaders of the pro-Iranian movement that controls the capital Sanaa and part of the territory have already started issuing threats against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The head of UN diplomacy in the Arab country, Hans Grundberg, promised “unceasing efforts” to give new impetus to the truce, which despite the numerous difficulties has allowed a constant reduction in clashes between the parties and the number of victims, including civilians. On August 2, representatives of the Houthis and the internationally recognized government extended the truce for two months (beginning on April 2 and extending until October 2), effectively sanctioning the longest period of cessation of hostilities since start of the war.
The conflict broke out in 2014 as an internal confrontation and turned into an open war after the intervention of Riyadh, in March 2015, at the head of a coalition of Arab nations. In recent years, almost 400,000 victims have been registered in a conflict that, according to the UN, has caused the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world”. To this has been added the Covid-19, which has had “devastating” effects; millions of people are on the verge of starvation and children –10,000 dead in the conflict – will suffer the impact during decades. There are more than three million internally displaced persons, most of whom live in conditions of extreme misery, hunger and suffer from epidemics of various kinds, including cholera.
The Houthis strongly oppose Grundberg’s plan to prolong the truce, which provides for the payment of salaries of public employees, the opening of routes to the city of Taez, the expansion of commercial flights from the capital and the expansion of berthing of boats loaded with fuel in the port of Hodeida, also under the control of the rebel movement. The UN envoy also calls for the release of detainees, the resumption of an “inclusive” political process and the discussion of economic issues, including public services.
For the Houthis, the proposal is inadmissible because it would not be “up to the demands of the Yemeni people” and would not go in the direction of strengthening the “peace process.” The people, underlines the Supreme Council in a note demanding income from oil and gas resources, “will not be fooled by false promises.” On the other front, there are no immediate comments from Riyadh or Abu Dhabi, while the internationally recognized government asks the UN Security Council to crack down on the Houthis for their “recent threats” and their refusal to extend the truce. Regarding the latest developments, Grundberg continues to travel between Sanaa and Oman (the territory where the mediation on Yemen is taking place) and said that he “will continue to work with both parties to try to find solutions.”
