Emirates calls for international support for ceasefire in Yemen
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), through its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, requested international support to definitively establish a cessation of hostilities in the Yemeni war. The Emirati diplomat discussed with the United Nations' envoy for Yemeni affairs, Martin Griffiths, the issue of a ceasefire in the conflict and the efforts being made to achieve it in the difficult situation currently being experienced with the coronavirus pandemic, which has already left more than 125,000 dead and more than 1,900,000 cases diagnosed worldwide. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, leader of the Arab coalition fighting on the ground against Houthi rebels, has announced that it is returning to dialogue with insurgents to stop the fighting.
Anwar Gargash discussed the issue with Martin Griffiths in a conversation and urged the international community to support the option of a ceasefire in the Middle East country's conflict. The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs said on Twitter that he spoke to the UN envoy to Yemen "in support of the UN's efforts". The supranational organization has long been working to stop the clash of forces on Yemeni soil in the face of the current health crisis, which left the first officially recognized case of coronavirus this weekend in the country on the Arabian Peninsula. All of this considering that the Yemeni nation is the poorest in the region and that its health system wouldn't be able to deal with a tough outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, even more so given the current civil war and the humanitarian disaster it is experiencing, the largest in the world, as recognized by the UN itself.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting against Shiite Houthi insurgents unilaterally decreed a ceasefire on 9 April for two weeks given the current situation, but there were reports of ceasefire violations (up to 241 by the rebel militia registered by the Arab alliance).
Gargash said that, after speaking with Griffiths, they believe that "the ceasefire decision announced by the Saudi-led coalition is an opportunity to confront the emerging coronavirus crisis and seek a lasting political solution. He also said that it is "an essential step towards achieving peace in Yemen".
Colonel Turki al-Maliki, spokesman of the Arab coalition, also said in statements to SPA, the official news agency of the Kingdom, that the determination of the temporary peace was taken "after Martin Griffiths, asked for a ceasefire and a reduction of the armed escalation, and practical measures to generate confidence between the two parties in the humanitarian and economic aspect".
The Arab coalition's decision was, in the first instance, welcomed in the Middle East region and by the international community because it was seen as a humanitarian opportunity to achieve a lasting political solution. This option is clear from the United Arab Emirates, which continues to work towards a stable, negotiated solution in Yemen.
The Kingdom has resumed indirect talks with the Houthi movement to consolidate the fragile ceasefire in Yemen, according to sources close to the dialogue. Meanwhile, the Emirates and the UN continue to work towards reducing tension and preparing for a possible major outbreak of COVID-19.
The Houthis, sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Iran - a major representative of the Shiite branch of Islam and a major rival to the Saudi Sunni standard in the region - and focused on overthrowing the internationally recognized Yemeni government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi, have yet to accept the nationwide truce triggered by the pandemic and announced last week by the Saudi-led coalition; violence and fighting have continued on Yemeni territory in recent days, particularly in the disputed enclaves of Al-Jawf and Marib (in northern Yemen) and Al-Baida (in the centre of the country).
Relief groups say a coronavirus outbreak could be catastrophic given Yemen's shattered health system and widespread hunger and disease, after five years of war in which around 100,000 people have died.
Saudi Arabian and Houthi representatives spoke over the weekend as Riyadh struggles to reach agreement on a binding truce, two sources close to the talks told Reuters. "Saudi Arabia is taking the end of the war very seriously, but it will depend on how far they can go to appease the Houthis and build some trust," one of the sources said.