Saudi Arabia welcomes Yemen truce

By Abdelrahman Fathy and Ramadan Mohamed

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Saturday welcomed a two-month truce brokered by the United Nations in war-torn Yemen.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it supports the truce announcement by the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, which will see “all forms of military operations inside Yemen and on the Saudi-Yemeni borders” halted.

The Saudi ministry praised Grundberg’s efforts in reaching the ceasefire, which it said comes in line with the Saudi initiative announced on March 2021 “to end the Yemeni crisis to reach a comprehensive political solution.”

On Friday, Grundberg said that Yemen’s warring parties have agreed on a "long overdue" two-month truce under which all offensive air, ground and maritime operations will be halted.

The truce took effect on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. local time (1600GMT).

On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels, said it will suspend military operations to ensure the success of the ongoing consultations, and to create a positive environment for peacemaking efforts during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

According to the UN, the conflict has created one of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara