Marib, Yemen: Government and Al Houthi militant forces in Yemen’s conflict pledged to honour a UN-brokered ceasefire that took effect at midnight, adding to cautious optimism ahead of new talks to reach a lasting peace deal.
The chief of staff of forces behind President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi said “the ceasefire has taken effect” despite deadly clashes in regions around Sana’a in the lead up to the deadline at midnight on Sunday.
The conflict has killed thousands, displaced 2.4 million and drawn in neighbours, but there are renewed hopes the latest truce can form the cornerstone of a long-lasting peace deal that can be hammered out from April 18 in Kuwait.
General Mohammad Ali Al Makdashi said “we are going to respect it... unless tAl Houthi militants violate it”.
Three earlier attempts at ceasefires collapsed after a Saudi-led coalition in March last year began air strikes to support the Hadi government and push back Al Houthis who overran the capital in September 2014 before advancing to other regions.
Chaos and misery have ruled since, and terrorists including the feared Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have taken advantage to seize territory and influence, adding impetus to the international peace efforts.
Iran-backed Al Houthis, along with allied troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, sent the United Nations a letter committing to “cease land, sea and air military operations” throughout Yemen, according to a statement carried by the Al Houthi militant-run Saba news agency.
Foreign Minister Abdul Malik Al Mekhlafi said Hadi’s government had also given “guarantees to the UN that it will maintain the truce”.
UN special envoy Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad welcomed the ceasefire and called on all parties to respect it.
“I ask all the parties and the international community to remain steadfast in support for this cessation of hostilities to be a first step in Yemen’s return to peace,” he said.
“This is critical, urgent and much needed. Yemen cannot afford the loss of more lives.”
In contrast to previous ceasefire attempts, some Al Houthi leaders met with Government troops on a joint committee to make sure both sides comply with the truce, coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmad Al Assiri told AFP.
“And they will monitor all the personnel on the ground, to not violate the ceasefire,” he said.
In the lead-up to the truce, fighting raged in regions outside Sanaa, while the Al Houthi militant-held city itself, which has been regularly bombed by coalition warplanes, was quiet.
Al Houthi militants and their allies were seen exchanging mortar and artillery fire with Yemeni forces in the Sarwah region of Marib province east of Sana’a.
A Yemeni commander in Sarwah, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Hasan, said four of his men were killed in the shelling.
Coalition aircraft also carried out strikes to stop Al Houthi militants seeking to retake a military base from pro-government forces, military sources said, while further north, coalition jets struck Al Houthi positions in Jawf province, according to the Al Houthi militants.
There were also clashes in Nihm northeast of the capital, witnesses said.
The UN special envoy announced last month that the ceasefire would be brokered ahead of the talks in Kuwait, but it was only agreed by the warring sides after months of shuttle diplomacy.
“We will go to the consultations (in Kuwait) to achieve peace,” Hadi reiterated on Saturday, insisting Al Houthi militants must commit to UN Security Council Resolution 2216 calling for their withdrawal from seized territory and disarmament.
Earlier negotiations collapsed but analysts are more optimistic this time after mediation efforts largely silenced guns along Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia, and a Al Houthi delegation visited Riyadh for talks.
“For the first time, the groups that can end major military operations, particularly the Saudis and the Al Houthis, appear to be more willing to do so,” said April Longley Alley, a Yemen specialist at the International Crisis Group.
“Even if major combat ends, the road to peace in Yemen will be long and difficult and internal conflict is likely to continue for some time,” she added.
