Truce in Yemen’s key port city takes effect

By Zeynep Tufekci and Hamdi Yildiz

HUDAYDAH/MARIB, Yemen

A UN-sponsored ceasefire went into effect midnight Tuesday in Yemen’s key Red Sea port city of Hudaydah and its surroundings.

The truce between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels comes after a deal was clinched last week in Stockholm, Sweden during UN-sponsored peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khalid al-Yamani confirmed the government’s intention to abide by the ceasefire in Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa in a statement on Twitter.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam also underscored the rebels’ commitment to the deal.

He said this would entail an end to military operations in Hudaydah as well as the cessation of fighting in Taiz in the country’s southwest.

Fighting between the two sides had flared up the previous day in Hudaydah, a key entry point for humanitarian aid.

The UN is expected to lead relief efforts through the port to reach the war-torn population throughout the country and improve their living conditions.

Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014 when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sana’a, forcing the government to flee to Saudi Arabia.

A year later, Saudi Arabia and several Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi military gains.