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| Success of New Ceasefire in Yemen Hinges on Rebels |
| 2016-10-08 |
| Aden, Jeddah-Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi rebels have accepted a 72-hour ceasefire truce. But, based on previous experiences, several observers informed about the situation in the country have expressed doubt about Houthis’ respect of the truce. The sources said rebels accepted the ceasefire after U.N. Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived to the Omani capital, Muscat, where he met with a Houthi delegation to discuss the peace process in Yemen. Houthi member Naser Baqzaqouz told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The delegation accepted the ceasefire and was informed by the U.N. envoy that the Yemeni presidency and the alliance forces had accepted it too.” Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognized government, which is supported by an alliance of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia, is fighting the Houthis and Saleh militias who took over the capital Sana’a in 2014. Sources from the office of Ould Cheikh told Asharq Al-Awsat that the U.N. envoy carries with him an agenda for a political solution and a comprehensive understanding to end the crisis in Yemen. According to the sources, the diplomat’s plan is based on the latest peace talks held in Kuwait, in addition to the points discussed in this regard, both is Jeddah and New York. Separately, Governor of Al Jawf Amin al-Okaimi told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that Houthis were involved in the bombing and destruction of several schools in Al Ghayl district. The rebels built on their ruins religious seminaries for Iranian indoctrination. Okaimi said that the authorities had arrested an Iranian national sent by Tehran along with other teachers to teach Yemenis the Iranian doctrine, which is based on preaching hatred against Arabs. The man was arrested during battles to liberate several directorates in Al Jawf province. The governor added that Houthis had previously received delegations from the Iranian revolutionary Guards in Al Ghayl district. More from Al-Arabiya A 72-hour truce for conflict-riddled Yemen is expected to be announced soon, the UN envoy to the Arabian Peninsula country said Friday after talks with rebel representatives. Three months of negotiations in Kuwait earlier this year ended without a breakthrough, dashing hopes for an end to the war between Shiite Houthi rebels and government forces that has gripped Yemen for more than 18 months. Fighting flared anew when the talks collapsed in August, prompting UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to warn that restoring a ceasefire for Yemen was critical. Speaking in the Omani capital on Friday after talks with representatives of the Houthis, the Mauritanian diplomat said a new truce deal was in the works as part of a wider peace plan. "An agreement for a 72-hour renewable truce will be announced in the coming days," he said in remarks carried by the official Oman news agency. The Houthis and their allies, supporters of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, "are convinced of the need for a ceasefire," the diplomat said. He said he would head to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to meet with Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. The UN envoy said he was hoping to draft a new peace plan for Yemen "in the next two weeks" but that he first needed to carry out more consultations. The United Nations says the conflict has killed more than 6,700 people and displaced at least three million since a Saudi-led Arab coalition backing Hadi's government launched operations in March 2015. Since then, the rebels have been pushed out of much of Yemen's south, but they still control nearly all of its Red Sea coast as well as swathes of territory around the capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its air raids following the breakdown of talks and cross-border attacks from Yemen have also intensified. |
| Posted by:badanov |