Bahrain calls Two-month truce a major step to end war in Yemen

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has welcomed the two-month renewable truce which came into force, on the first day of Ramadan, yesterday in Yemen, halting all military operations inside Yemen and on the Saudi-Yemen border.

“The two-month truce started at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) tonight. As of tonight, all offensive ground, aerial and naval military operations should cease,” Hans Grundberg, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, said in a statement yesterday. The Saudi-led coalition also welcomed the truce in Yemen saying it supports the UN efforts and arrangements to keep the deal, Saudi state TV reported.

The Houthis and the Arab Coalition will also meet to agree on opening roads in parts of the country, including Taiz governorate, “to improve civilians’ freedom of movement,” the statement said.

In a statement, Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs appreciated the response of the command of the coalition to the efforts of the UN envoy, which builds on the initiative announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in March 2021 to end the Yemeni crisis and reach a comprehensive political solution.

The ministry hoped that this “major step” would pave the way toward ending the war in Yemen and a comprehensive political settlement to achieve peace and stability in the region.

“The success of this initiative will depend on the warring parties’ continued commitment to implementing the truce agreement with its accompanying humanitarian measures,” Grundberg said.

The UN-brokered deal between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group aligned with Iran is the most significant step yet towards ending a conflict. The last coordinated cessation of hostilities nationwide was during peace talks in 2016.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the truce “must be a first step to ending Yemen’s devastating war”, urging the parties to build on the opportunity to “resume an inclusive and comprehensive Yemeni political process”.

A copy of the truce deal seen by Reuters, and reported by Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, said 18 fuel vessels would be given access during the truce period and two flights a week would be operated from Sanaa to Jordan and Egypt.

The parties are also discussing a prisoner swap under which hundreds from both sides would be freed, including 16 Saudis, three Sudanese and a brother of Yemen’s president.