Yemen warring parties agree to ceasefire, end nine year deadly war

DUBAI: Yemen’s warring parties have committed to a new ceasefire and agreed to engage in a UN-led peace process to end the war, the UN envoy for Yemen said Saturday.
The announcement by UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, marks the latest step to end the deadly nine-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
It follows recent meetings by Grundberg in Saudi Arabia and Oman with Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Council and Mohammed Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator of the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Grundberg said he “welcomes the parties’ commitment to a set of measures to implement a nation-wide ceasefire… and (to) engage in preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process,” according to a statement by his office.
The envoy “will now engage with the parties to establish a road map under UN auspices that includes these commitments and supports their implementation,” the statement added.
A UN-brokered ceasefire that took effect in April 2022 brought a sharp reduction in hostilities. The truce expired in October last year, though fighting largely remains on hold.
Grundberg will now “engage with the parties to establish a roadmap under UN auspices” that includes these commitments.
It includes commitments to pay civil servants’ salaries, open routes into the rebel-blockaded city of Taiz and other parts of Yemen and resume oil exports, according to the statement.