According to the UN, the parties to the conflict in Yemen have agreed on measures to end the devastating civil war. Among other things, it is about the path to a national ceasefire and the return to a political process, said the UN representative for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Saturday. “The parties have taken a significant step forward,” Grundberg said. 30 million Yemenis now waited for steps towards lasting peace.
The announcement came amid a growing number of attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. They want to persuade Israel to end its attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched several uprisings in Yemen. In 2014, they captured the capital Sanaa and much of the north, which they now control. Saudi Arabia, with allies and alongside the Yemeni government, began bombing Houthi targets in the neighboring country in 2015. However, Riyadh is increasingly looking for a way out of the conflict, in which, according to estimates at the end of 2021, around 377 thousand people died as a result of the direct and indirect consequences of the war. The country in the south of the Arabian Peninsula is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
According to Grundberg, Yemeni Presidential Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi and Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam participated in the negotiations. The agreement follows several rounds of negotiations in Saudi Arabia and Oman, Grundberg said. He will now work with the conflicting parties on a roadmap with the commitments made. This includes, among other things, the resumption of oil exports, the easing of the blockade of Sanaa airport and the port of Hudaydah, and the opening of important roads.
Through its attacks in Yemen, Saudi Arabia also wants to prevent its regional rival, Iran, from further expanding its influence with the help of Houthi rebels. In March this year, after mediation by China, the regional powers announced that they intended to resume diplomatic relations. This also raised hopes of a possible easing of the civil war in Yemen.