UN envoy urges Yemen's warring parties to renew truce
Published: 04:05 PM,May 26,2022 | EDITED : 11:05 PM,May 26,2022
An end to the Ansar Allah siege of Taiz, Yemen's third biggest city, is on the agenda during talks in Amman. - AFP file photo
AMMAN: The UN special envoy has urged Yemen's warring parties to renew their two-month truce, praising its 'tangible benefits' as the deadline approaches next week.
Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg said the first nationwide truce since 2016 had provided an opportunity to break the cycle of violence that has left hundreds of thousands dead and driven millions to the brink of famine.
'We have seen the tangible benefits the truce has delivered so far for the daily lives of Yemenis,' Grundberg said in a statement late on Wednesday.
'The parties need to renew the truce to extend and consolidate these benefits to the people of Yemen, who have suffered over seven years of war.'
He was speaking as talks opened in the Jordanian capital Amman between Yemen's Ansar Allah fighters and its internationally recognised government on ending the blockade of Taez, Yemen's third biggest city, which has been largely cut off since 2015.
The meetings were part of the truce agreement that also included resuming commercial flights from Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and oil shipments to the lifeline port of Hodeida, which is also under Ansar Allah's control.
The Ansar Allah seized Sanaa in 2014, triggering a military intervention in 2015. The war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.
Under the truce, which expires on June 2, more than 1,000 passengers have flown between Sanaa and Amman, and preparations are under way to start flights to Cairo.
Fighting has 'sharply reduced', the statement said, despite reports of continued clashes and civilian casualties. Grundberg urged the two sides to exercise 'maximum restraint'.
'The truce has presented a window of opportunity to break with the violence and suffering of the past and move towards a peaceful future in Yemen. The parties need to seize this opportunity,' he said.
Last week, the first commercial flight in nearly six years has taken off from Yemen’s capital, a major step forward in a peace process that has provided rare relief from conflict.
The Yemenia plane carrying 137 passengers, including patients needing treatment abroad and their relatives, took off from Sanaa for the Jordanian capital, Amman, just after 9 am.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed al Attab said it is a “joyful day” for many Yemenis, especially those who are in urgent need of medical treatment abroad.
“There are about 300,000 patients – according to the Ministry of Health – who are waiting for the resumption of flights because of the inability of most of the health sector here to treat them,” Al Attab said, speaking from Sanaa.
The flight was initially due to take off on April 24, but a dispute over passports issued by the rebels delayed it.
Last week Yemen’s government said it would allow citizens in rebel-held areas to travel on Ansar Allah-issued passports, removing a barrier to the flights.
The government-run SABA news agency said last week that new Yemeni passports would be issued in Jordan for those arriving with Ansar Allah-issued travel documents.
Sanaa’s airport has been closed to commercial traffic since August 2016 because of a blockade by the military coalition, which is fighting Ansar Allah. - Agencies
Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg said the first nationwide truce since 2016 had provided an opportunity to break the cycle of violence that has left hundreds of thousands dead and driven millions to the brink of famine.
'We have seen the tangible benefits the truce has delivered so far for the daily lives of Yemenis,' Grundberg said in a statement late on Wednesday.
'The parties need to renew the truce to extend and consolidate these benefits to the people of Yemen, who have suffered over seven years of war.'
He was speaking as talks opened in the Jordanian capital Amman between Yemen's Ansar Allah fighters and its internationally recognised government on ending the blockade of Taez, Yemen's third biggest city, which has been largely cut off since 2015.
The meetings were part of the truce agreement that also included resuming commercial flights from Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa, and oil shipments to the lifeline port of Hodeida, which is also under Ansar Allah's control.
The Ansar Allah seized Sanaa in 2014, triggering a military intervention in 2015. The war has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.
Under the truce, which expires on June 2, more than 1,000 passengers have flown between Sanaa and Amman, and preparations are under way to start flights to Cairo.
Fighting has 'sharply reduced', the statement said, despite reports of continued clashes and civilian casualties. Grundberg urged the two sides to exercise 'maximum restraint'.
'The truce has presented a window of opportunity to break with the violence and suffering of the past and move towards a peaceful future in Yemen. The parties need to seize this opportunity,' he said.
Last week, the first commercial flight in nearly six years has taken off from Yemen’s capital, a major step forward in a peace process that has provided rare relief from conflict.
The Yemenia plane carrying 137 passengers, including patients needing treatment abroad and their relatives, took off from Sanaa for the Jordanian capital, Amman, just after 9 am.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed al Attab said it is a “joyful day” for many Yemenis, especially those who are in urgent need of medical treatment abroad.
“There are about 300,000 patients – according to the Ministry of Health – who are waiting for the resumption of flights because of the inability of most of the health sector here to treat them,” Al Attab said, speaking from Sanaa.
The flight was initially due to take off on April 24, but a dispute over passports issued by the rebels delayed it.
Last week Yemen’s government said it would allow citizens in rebel-held areas to travel on Ansar Allah-issued passports, removing a barrier to the flights.
The government-run SABA news agency said last week that new Yemeni passports would be issued in Jordan for those arriving with Ansar Allah-issued travel documents.
Sanaa’s airport has been closed to commercial traffic since August 2016 because of a blockade by the military coalition, which is fighting Ansar Allah. - Agencies