The Saudi-led coalition announced yesterday evening, Tuesday, that it will stop its military operations in Yemen from this morning, Wednesday, and during the month of Ramadan, in conjunction with the launch of consultations for the Yemeni forces in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, today, under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council. .

And the Saudi Press Agency quoted the coalition spokesman, Brigadier Turki Al-Maliki, as saying that the coalition will stop its military operations inside Yemen “as of six in the morning on Wednesday, March 27,” with the aim of “creating the appropriate conditions” for the success of consultations between the Yemeni parties - absent from them. The Houthis - also with the aim of creating a “positive environment during the holy month of Ramadan for peacemaking in Yemen.”

According to the coalition spokesman, the decision comes in response to the call of the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Nayef Al-Hajraf, to request a halt to military operations in Yemen.

UN proposal

The United Nations has also previously called for a truce between the warring parties in Yemen during the month of Ramadan, and informed sources said that the United Nations proposal calls for a temporary ceasefire during Ramadan, in exchange for allowing fuel ships to dock in the port of Hodeidah (west), which is controlled by the Houthis, and for a small number of commercial flights from Sanaa airport.

On the other hand, Reuters reported on the Houthi leader, Muhammad al-Bakhiti, as saying that "the siege imposed on Yemen is a military action because it is imposed by force of arms, and if the siege is not lifted, the declaration of the coalition of aggression to stop its military operations will be meaningless."

The siege imposed on Yemen is a military action because it is imposed by force of arms. If the siege is not lifted, the declaration of the coalition of aggression to stop its military operations will not make sense because the suffering of Yemenis as a result of the siege is more severe than the war itself, which means the continuation of our military operations aimed at breaking the siege.

— Muhammad Al-Bukaiti (@M_N_Albukhaiti) March 29, 2022

The Houthi leader added that this "means the continuation of our military operations aimed at breaking the siege."

Riyadh Consultations

Consultations of the Yemeni forces will be launched in the Saudi capital today, Wednesday, under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with the aim of reaching a ceasefire. The consultations will continue until the seventh of next April, and the Houthi group, which rejects them in Saudi Arabia, will be absent from it, as it insists on holding consultations in a neutral country.

Last Saturday, the Houthi group announced a three-day truce after a series of attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis offered peace talks, on condition that the coalition stop its raids and lift the siege imposed on Yemen. The coalition did not comment on the Houthi announcement, but launched raids on Houthi sites in Sanaa hours after their announcement. Armistice initiative.

The United Nations and the United States have been trying since last year to reach a permanent truce in Yemen, but differences over the steps are thwarting efforts to end the seven-year war, which has killed tens of thousands and devastated Yemen.

The Houthis want the coalition to lift the restrictions it imposes on the seaports and Sanaa airport first, while the coalition wants simultaneous steps from both sides.

It should be noted that Yemen has been suffering for more than 7 years from a war between pro-government forces backed by the coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthis, who control several governorates, including the capital, Sanaa. The war has left the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, according to the United Nations.