Yemen’s warring parties agree to ceasefire

According to the United Nations, the warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a two-month ceasefire. That starts Saturday night at 7pm local time, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said Friday night. If all parties agree, it can also be extended. The start of the ceasefire coincides with the start of the Islamic fasting month, Ramadan.

All previous diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the southern country of the Arabian Peninsula have failed. Without the participation of the Houthis, hopes are low again this time around. However, aid organizations are calling for a quick solution in view of the dramatic humanitarian situation. The UN warns that the already severe famine in Yemen could get worse.

In Yemen, arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran are fighting a proxy war. While Iran supports the Shiite Houthi rebels, Saudi Arabia leads a group of Sunni-leaning Gulf states in the fight against these insurgents. Saudi Arabia is therefore supporting the internationally recognized Yemeni government of Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi, who was expelled from the capital Sana’a by the Houthi rebels in 2014. According to the UN, around 380,000 people have already been killed in the conflict and millions more. had to flee.