Yemen .. The United Nations announces the extension of the armistice for an additional two months

UN, international and regional efforts succeeded in persuading the Yemeni parties to extend the UN armistice for an additional two months, to allow the completion of the process of implementing the terms of the armistice that was announced in early April, and to build foundations of trust between the parties before heading towards permanent peace negotiations.

Today, Thursday, the United Nations announced, through its envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the extension of the armistice in Yemen for an additional two months.

The envoy said in a statement issued by his office today, "The humanitarian truce in Yemen has been extended for an additional two months, after the Yemeni parties agreed to renew the truce."

According to the statement of the UN envoy, the renewed truce will enter into force "when the current truce expires, today, June 2, 2022 at 7 pm today, Yemen time."

He stressed that "the armistice was extended according to the same provisions of the original agreement, which entered into force on April 2, 2022."

Grundberg's statement said that Yemenis have seen "tangible benefits of the truce over the past two months, as the number of civilian casualties has decreased significantly, and more fuel has entered Yemen through the port of Hodeidah."

And in early April, the UN envoy announced that the parties to the conflict in the country had agreed to a two-month truce that could be extended, including a nationwide ceasefire, commercial flights to Sanaa airport, and 18 fuel ships allowed to enter Hodeidah ports, in addition to opening the crossings and ports of Taiz. The besieged, and the last item is still faltering implementation until the moment.

He added that the armistice "represents a major transformation in the course of the war that was achieved through a responsible and courageous decision by the parties, and additional steps must be taken in order for the armistice to achieve its full potential, especially with regard to opening roads and operating commercial flights."

He added, "The parties met face to face, under the auspices of the United Nations, for the first time in years to make progress towards opening roads in Taiz and in other governorates, and to implement mechanisms to reduce military escalation at the country level."

The envoy stressed the continuation of work "with the parties to implement and consolidate the elements of the truce in full, and to move towards a sustainable political solution to this conflict that meets the aspirations and legitimate demands of Yemeni men and women."

He pointed out that "I rely on the continued cooperation of the parties in good faith, to build confidence, and to exploit the available momentum to provide a future in which peace prevails in Yemen."

Grundberg praised the support provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman and members of the United Nations Security Council, and praised the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for their support in operating international commercial flights from Sanaa Airport.

The envoy concluded his statement by saying, "By agreeing to implement the truce and renew it now, the parties have provided a glimmer of hope to the Yemenis that it is possible to end this devastating conflict."

The decision to extend the armistice in Yemen was widely welcomed by the Arab and international levels, while the European Union ambassadors stressed the need to reopen the roads around Taiz.

For its part, the Presidential Leadership Council was briefed today, Thursday, on the results of the meetings with the UN and American envoys and the ambassadors of the United States and the European Union, during which the Leadership Council affirmed its firm position on the terms and requirements of extending the armistice and creating the conditions for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the country.

The Chairman of the Leadership Council and his deputies affirmed the keenness of the Council and the legitimate government to support all endeavors to make the efforts of the United Nations envoy succeed and push the Houthi militias to fulfill their commitments related to opening the Taiz crossings, and disbursing the salaries of employees from the revenues of oil derivatives ships arriving at the ports of Hodeidah, with the facilitation of the Council and the Coalition to Support Legitimacy.

Great UN, US and European efforts have been made during the past two days in order to obtain the approval of the Yemeni parties to extend the UN armistice, whose first period ended on Thursday.

The UN envoy to Yemen, the ambassadors of the European Union and the US envoy Timothy Linderking, and the new US ambassador to Yemen, held meetings in Aden with the government side, as part of efforts to make the extension of the truce a success.

The UN envoy made a shuttle trip between Riyadh, Aden and Muscat in order to extend the truce and persuade the Houthis to agree to the extension and open the ports of Taiz.

The Yemeni government had warned against the continuation of the siege imposed by the Houthis on the city of Taiz and their refusal to implement the terms of the UN armistice, and described the situation in Taiz as catastrophic.

With regard to Houthi violations, the Yemeni army forces thwarted infiltration attempts by Houthi elements on the fronts south and west of Ma'rib, and west of Haradh in Hajjah. They also monitored Houthi violations by drones on several fronts in the two governorates.

Field sources in Marib stated that despite the extension of the truce, it remains only on paper. On the ground, the militias continue to launch attacks and infiltration attempts on an almost daily basis on all fronts.

In Taiz, militias bombed the villages of Al Shaqab, east of the province, with various types of weapons at dawn today, while the media center of the Taiz axis monitored 1,800 violations of the armistice by the Houthis in the province since the beginning of the truce, which resulted in the killing of 6 soldiers and 2 civilians, and the injury of 63 people, including 20 civilians.

 On the other hand, the militias carried out a massive campaign of kidnappings among the followers of the Zaydi authority, Muhammad al-Mu'aydi, in the governorate of Amran, north of the capital, Sana'a.

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