Arab Coalition Command in Yemen Announces Suspension of Military Operations - State Media
The Yemeni armed opposition movement Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, announced on Sunday a three-day cessation of hostilities against Saudi Arabia and its coalition. The news comes as this month marks the seventh anniversary of the war, which has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
The Saudi Arabian-led coalition said on Tuesday it would cease hostilities in Yemen during inter-Yemeni talks in Riyadh, that will be held on Wednesday, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.
The alliance said that suspending military operations is aimed at creating “appropriate conditions” for peace talks to succeed.
“We announce the cessation of military operations inside Yemen to make the consultations successful and create a positive environment for peacemaking during the month of Ramadan, at the invitation of His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf,” the statement says.
Earlier in the month, the warring sides made efforts to initiate peace talks amid continuing hostilities. Saudi Arabia has offered to hold the meeting in Riyadh, ready to guarantee the inviolability of the Houthi delegation. Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has also agreed to take part in the talks, which would be the first attempt to arrange a direct meeting between the leaders of both sides of the Yemeni civil war.
The Houthi representatives, so far, have not officially confirmed their participation in the talks, and have increased their shelling of Saudi territories. At the end of the last week, they carried out a massive attack on energy facilities in the kingdom.
The negotiations are expected to be held between March 29 and April 7 and resemble a conference. The parties plan to discuss a number of issues to tackle the political crisis, including the formation of a new Yemeni government and the reconstruction of war-affected areas. In addition, participants will discuss the opening of humanitarian corridors from northern Yemen, which has been in a transport blockade for more than seven years.
A number of Arabic media outlets have suggested that the negotiations may be the first step towards ending the war.
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