Arab coalition will respect Yemen truce: Statement

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen for more than a year said it would honour a UN-brokered ceasefire from 2100 GMT on Sunday.

“The Arab coalition is going to respect a ceasefire in Yemen starting from midnight Sunday at the demand of President (Abedrabbo Mansour) Hadi but reserves the right to respond” to any rebel attacks, it said in a statement.

On March 23, the UN’s special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the conflicting parties “have agreed to a nationwide cessation of hostilities beginning April 10 at midnight in advance of the upcoming round of the peace talks, which will take place on April 18 in Kuwait”.

This will be the fourth ceasefire since March 26 last year when the Saudi-led coalition began air strikes to support the government of Hadi, who fled an advance by Shia Houthis and their allies, elite troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Previous ceasefires failed to take hold and negotiations collapsed. Analysts said a more conducive atmosphere prevails ahead of next week’s round.

source: AFP