SANA’A: The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has welcomed the positive reactions by all sides to the two-month truce reached in war-torn Yemen. In a statement, he stressed the importance of building on the agreement to restore some trust between the warring parties and resume a political process aimed at ending the conflict.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in more than seven years of fighting between Yemeni forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels.
Grundberg issued a statement to mark the ceasefire, which began at 7 p.m., local time, and coincides with the start of the holy month of Ramazan.
“The success of this initiative will depend on the warring parties’ continued commitment to implementing the truce agreement with its accompanying humanitarian measures,” he said. “I also hope the goodwill that we saw from all sides in public will translate into long-term de-escalation of inflammatory media rhetoric and hate speech.” The UN envoy had announced the truce on Friday, which calls for a halt to all offensive ground, aerial and naval military operations in Yemen and across its borders. –Agencies
