Yemeni warring sides cautiously welcome renewal of UN-mediated truce-Xinhua

Yemeni warring sides cautiously welcome renewal of UN-mediated truce

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2022-08-03 22:30:15

ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's internationally-recognized government and the Houthi militia have welcomed the renewal of the ongoing nationwide truce in the war-ravaged Arab country.

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Tuesday announced a two-month renewal of the ceasefire in Yemen. The warring parties in Yemen had agreed to extend the truce, under the same terms, for an additional two months, from Aug. 2 until Oct. 2, Grundberg said in a statement.

Following Grundberg's announcement, Yemen's government based in Aden welcomed the extension of the UN-brokered truce. "The prime objective of the truce is stopping Yemeni bloodshed over Houthi militia's triggered war, easing freedom of movement of civilians and transporting of goods and humanitarian services across Yemen," the Yemeni government said in a statement posted on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates late Tuesday.

The government stressed the "significance of full implementation of the truce, stopping all Houthi militia's violations and accomplishing what has not been accomplished during the past period and commencing immediately of ending the siege on Taiz and opening roads to other provinces."

On the other side, a senior leader from the Iran-backed Houthi militia called for prompt action to solve humanitarian issues and move into more stable phases.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, head of the Houthi negotiating delegation, wrote on his Twitter account late on Tuesday night that "the truce was renewed following the efforts exerted by bothers in the Sultanate of Oman."

Last week, the Houthi group announced the arrival of a delegation from Oman to the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which is under the group's control, to hold consultations on the UN-brokered truce in Yemen.

"We reiterate the importance of the United Nations' intensive work on disbursing salaries, opening the airport and port, and ending the blockade, since humanitarian issues are the natural rights of the Yemeni people," he added.

The UN-mediated truce initially took effect on April 2 and was extended on June 2. During the ceasefire, the Yemeni government accused the Houthi militia of launching attacks.

Last month, Yemen's government said that 81 people were killed and 331 others injured in the sporadic attacks carried out by the Houthi militia since the beginning of the UN-brokered truce.

The government said in a previous press statement that the average number of sporadic attacks launched by the Houthi militia since April 2 reached 50 per day.

"The Houthis didn't fully implement the terms of the UN-brokered truce during the past months and continued their sporadic military operations across the country," a Yemeni government official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Xinhua.

"The Houthis used the ceasefire in fighting to their advantage as they continued to create military sites in the country's northern provinces and they moved forward with developing their missile systems," the official added.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the poorest Arab country to the brink of starvation.