Despite pressure from other nations for an expanded and longer-lasting agreement, the UN says the warring factions in Yemen have agreed to extend a current truce by another two months.
In a statement on Tuesday, Yemen’s special envoy Hans Grundberg stated that the Houthi rebels and the country’s internationally recognized government had agreed on an extension of the ceasefire.
According to a statement from Grundberg, “This ceasefire extension includes a commitment by the parties to step up talks to quickly reach an expanded ceasefire agreement.”
According to the Reuters news agency, the envoy had pressed for a six-month truce with extra measures, but there have been issues with the current ceasefire agreement’s execution on both sides, and mistrust is pervasive.
The announcement of the renewal came hours after an Omani delegation concluded three days of talks with the Houthi leadership, including rebel leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.
United Nations Special Envoy Hans Grundberg [File: Alaa Mohammad/AFP]
Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the Houthi’s chief negotiator and spokesman, said on Twitter the talks were focused on “consolidating the chances of stopping the war and lifting the blockade” imposed by the Saudi-led coalition.
The truce originally came into effect on April 2 and was extended on June 2, although both sides exchanged accusations of violating the truce and failing to lift a year-long Houthis blockade of Taiz city.
