Virus Forces Two-Week Yemen Truce, Spurring Hope for End to War
Saudi Coalition Set to Announce Ceasefire With Rebels in Yemen
(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia said its two-week cease-fire in Yemen was intended as a step toward ending the war, with the more immediate aim of reducing hostilities as the coronavirus threatens the region.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels ordered a truce starting at 12 p.m. local time on Thursday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, citing Colonel Turki al-Malki, the spokesman for the alliance. The decision was taken to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the war-torn country and to build confidence between the combatants, the news service said.
In a subsequent Twitter post, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan went further, saying the move would support the efforts of the United Nations, “with the goal of ending the conflict.”
The kingdom will contribute $500 million to the UN’s humanitarian plan for Yemen in 2020, with an additional $25 million for countering any outbreak of the virus in Yemen. There have been no confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Yemen, which has been ravaged by a five-year war.
Humanitarian Disaster
Since the Saudi-led coalition began its bombing campaign in 2015 in an as yet failed attempt to restore an allied government ousted by the Houthis, tens of thousands of people have been killed and the country has descended into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
The Saudi offensive has faced widespread criticism, with the U.S. Congress voting last year to withdraw support for Riyadh’s role in the conflict -- a punishment vetoed by President Donald Trump -- and Germany imposing a ban on all arms deliveries to the kingdom. The war is fueled by the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are on opposing sides.
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi ruling political council, said in a statement on his Twitter account that the group will not accept “partial or patchwork solutions.” The Houthis had presented their blueprint to UN envoy Martin Griffiths for “a full cease-fire and lifting of the blockade,” he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres two weeks ago called for a halt to fighting in Yemen to protect civilians from the virus, and he won support from a top official in the United Arab Emirates, which has gradually reduced its role in the war alongside the Saudis.
“The COVID-19 crisis eclipses everything,” U.A.E. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash wrote on Twitter Thursday. “The international community must step up efforts & work together to protect the Yemeni people.”
Hours after the cease-fire announcement, the Houthis said that the Saudi army had shelled villages in Sa’ada province near the border. Houthi-owned Al-Masirah TV reported that there were airstrikes in Amran, Sa’ada and Al-Baidha provinces, but it didn’t say if they were conducted before or after the truce took effect.
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