Yemen’s warring parties have committed to a new ceasefire and agreed to engage in a UN-led peace process to end the war, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Saturday.
The announcement by Grundberg marks the latest step to end the nine-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
It follows recent meetings by Grundberg in Saudi Arabia and Oman with Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, and Mohammed Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Photo: EPA-EFE
A statement by Grundberg’s office quoted him as saying he “welcomes the parties’ commitment to a set of measures to implement a nation-wide ceasefire ... and [to] engage in preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process.”
The envoy “will now engage with the parties to establish a road map under UN auspices that includes these commitments and supports their implementation,” the statement added.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the beleaguered government the following year.
A UN-brokered ceasefire that took effect in April last year brought a sharp reduction in hostilities. The truce expired in October last year, although fighting largely remains on hold.
Grundberg would now “engage with the parties to establish a roadmap under UN auspices” to end the war, the statement said.
The road map also includes commitments to pay civil servants’ salaries, open routes into the rebel-blockaded city of Taez and other parts of Yemen and resume oil exports, it said.
“Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to provide for tangible results and progress toward lasting peace,” Grundberg said. “The parties have taken a significant step. Their commitments are, first and foremost, an obligation to the Yemeni people.”
The agreement comes amid a flurry of attacks by the Houthi rebels on key shipping lanes in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is fighting Hamas militants.
The Houthis have pledged to attack Israel-linked vessels or ships heading to Israeli ports unless an end is brought to the Israel-Hamas war that started on Oct. 7.
They have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10 merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries, the Pentagon has said.
The attacks by the rebels are imperilling a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the US to set up a multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping.
The Houthi “military actions hinder progress toward a peaceful resolution,” said Mohammed Albasha, a senior Middle East analyst for the US-based Navanti Group.
“The Houthis have transitioned ... to becoming aggressors targeting civilian assets,” he said.
The latest agreement coincides with a push by Saudi Arabia to extricate itself from the conflict, despite slim hopes of lasting peace.
The oil-rich monarchy gave a signal this year by resuming ties with Iran, which backs the Houthis against the Saudi-supported government in a proxy war.
The Saudi-led intervention’s stated aim was to protect civilians from Houthi attacks, restore the government and stop Yemen becoming a safe haven for Iranian-backed forces.
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