Yemen: the truce has been renewed for another two months

The warring parties in

have agreed to renew the UN-mediated truce for 2 months.

This was announced by the UN special envoy for Yemen,

, in a statement. 

On April 1, a truce on the whole of Yemen entered into force, the first since

, sponsored by the United Nations that won the support of both the

rebels and the Saudi-led coalition.

All the ceasefires, up to that moment, had fallen on deaf ears: the last in 2018 provided for the cessation of hostilities around the port of

, vital for the supply of the very poor Yemeni population reduced to starvation and disease, but it was almost completely ignored.

This new one comes after a period of intensification of the fighting, but also of intense diplomatic activity, with negotiations underway in Riyadh, where however the Houthis have not shown up so far.

The extension of the truce comes precisely on the day of expiry, at 19 in Yemen, of the current one.

"Over the past two months, Yemenis have experienced the tangible benefits of the truce. Civilian casualties have dropped significantly, fuel deliveries through the

port have increased considerably, and commercial flights have resumed to and from the international airport of Hudaydah.

Sana'a after nearly six years of closure. 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

and other governorates and implementing of military de-escalation mechanisms at the national level, "states the UN note.

"I commend the parties for taking these steps and for agreeing to extend the

.

This represents a significant change in the trajectory of the war and was achieved through responsible and courageous decision-making by the parties.

For the truce to realize its full potential, further measures will need to be taken, in particular with regard to road openings and commercial flight operations.

Such steps will require leadership and vision for all of Yemen, "says Grundberg. In addition, he says," I will continue to engage with the parties to implement and consolidate all elements of the truce in full and move towards a sustainable political solution to the conflict that satisfies the legitimate aspirations and demands of Yemeni men and women ”.