ADEN, Yemen, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A newly-reached ceasefire between Yemen's warring parties, which came into force on Saturday, has brought hope to the millions of citizens in the war-torn country, who have been locked in an abysmal humanitarian crisis.
However, analysts say they are not optimistic about the future of the truce, and it still needs a great amount of work to achieve lasting peace in Yemen.
NEW HOPE
An audible sigh of relief could be heard across Yemen, the poorest Arab country, when the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg declared the ceasefire on April 1.
It is the first all-around ceasefire agreed by Yemen's warring parties in years, and has offered new hope for reducing violence and suffering in the brutal conflict, which caused "the biggest humanitarian crisis on earth," according to the UN.
In a statement, Grundberg said that the success of this initiative will depend on the warring parties' commitment to implementing the truce agreement and humanitarian measures.
The UN envoy pointed out that this truce aims to give Yemenis a necessary break from violence, and relief from humanitarian suffering, stressing that this truce can be renewed beyond the two-month period with the consent of the parties.
The Yemeni government and Houthi militia welcomed the ceasefire in separate statements on Friday. They also voiced their readiness to exchange all war prisoners and political detainees.
According to Adel Al-Shujaa, a political science professor at Sanaa University, the ceasefire is an important step toward alleviating the suffering of Yemenis who have been subjected to nonstop shelling and armed clashes for the past seven years.
On Sunday, just several hours after the announcement of the ceasefire, the Yemeni riyal gained almost 13 percent, a rare uptick for the country's currency that has lost more than half of its value since the start of the war.
Money traders confirmed to Xinhua that the riyal climbed for the first time in months, reaching 1,070 riyals against 1 U.S. dollar in the government-controlled areas, compared to 1,260 riyals a week earlier.
"We hope the peace can last and our life can be normal again," said Mohammed Weshah, a Sanaa resident who has lost a family member to an airstrike back in 2017.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened on March 26, 2015, to support the Yemeni government.
In a recent report, The United Nations said the war had killed more than 370,000 people by the end of 2021 and displaced around 4 million. Around two-thirds of the country's 30 million citizens are in need of humanitarian assistance.
TRUCE RIDDLED WITH OBSTACLES
When the third month of 2022 started, hardly anyone would have predicted a ceasefire could be reached in Yemen at its end.
For months, the Houthi group has stepped up their cross-border drone and missile attacks on oil and military facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In response, the Saudi-led coalition launched an array of retaliatory airstrikes that killed hundreds of people.
Fares Albeel, a Yemeni college professor and political commentator, told Xinhua that the ceasefire was rushed into effectivity, and the truce deal lacked powerful guarantees and observation teams on the ground to watch over the cessation of hostilities between the warring parties.
The ceasefire is possible because the Gulf countries are facing pressure from the international community as Yemen's humanitarian crisis has gone from bad to worse, said Albeel, adding that this does not mean that the Saudi-led coalition is happy to see a legitimatized Houthi presence in the country.
Al-Shujaa from Sanaa University also pointed to the fragility of the ceasefire as the reasons and regional players behind the country's years-long conflict are still in place.
"It seems that the regional powers are not currently convinced to put an end to Yemen's war," Al-Shujaa told Xinhua.
Al-Taher also expressed skepticism about achieving a lasting truce because both sides lack common ground on which to build peace, adding that there is widespread skepticism about the Houthi's sincerity in Aden, where the internationally recognized government is currently seated.
On Sunday, one day after the beginning of the ceasefire, the internationally recognized government accused the Houthis of frequently breaking the UN-brokered deal.
The Yemeni Defense Ministry said two attacks were repelled by pro-government army troops in the central province of Marib and in the southwestern province of Taiz.
On the other hand, the Houthi militia also claimed on Sunday that the pro-government forces breached the UN-brokered ceasefire in many contested areas across the war-ravaged country. ■
