The tenuous ceasefire in Yemen has finally unravelled. The Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi rebels announced the end of the truce yesterday citing repeated violations by the Houthis on a daily basis since the ceasefire was declared last month. A continuation of the truce would have benefited only the rebels who have been flagrantly violating it while the coalition forces have been abiding by its terms. The annulment now paves the way for heavy fighting between the two sides, making any solution to the Yemeni crisis very remote and cumbersome.
The coalition cannot be blamed for its decision because the rebels had no intention of honouring their commitments in the first place. “The ceasefire announced on December 15 had been ended due to continuous rebel attacks on the kingdom’s territories by firing ballistic missiles towards Saudi cities, targeting Saudi border posts, and hampering aid operations,” the alliance said in a statement, adding that the rebels have “continued to shell residents and kill and detain Yemeni civilians in cities under their control. “All this shows how unserious the militias and their allies are and their disregard for the lives of civilians, and how they have clearly exploited this truce to make gains,” it said.
More than 80 people, most of them soldiers and border guards, have been killed in shelling and cross-border fighting in Saudi’s south since coalition operations began in Yemen. The rebels have been ruthlessly firing missiles at Saudi, whose air defence forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the city of Abha late on Friday. On Thursday, three civilians, including two children, were killed in missile attacks on a residential area in the southwestern Jazan region. The coalition realises that it will be foolish to stick to the truce under such grave provocations and killings of innocent civilians.
The Houthis are on the retreat in several areas in Yemen due to a powerful onslaught by the coalition forces, and the firing of missiles at Saudi is a ploy to deflect attention and inflict some damage on coalition forces. The Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 and then moved south to the second city of Aden, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government was internationally recognised, to flee to Saudi. But following huge advances by the loyalists, aided by the Gulf forces, Hadi returned to Aden in November after six months in exile. The rebels are now desperately trying to recover the lost ground but have been unsuccessful so far.
The unravelling of the truce would further complicate the Yemeni crisis and would hit the delivery of aid to tens of thousands who have been hit hard by the fighting. The onus is now on the UN to initiate measures to force the Houthis to quit Sanaa and agree to the comeback of Hadi.
The tenuous ceasefire in Yemen has finally unravelled. The Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi rebels announced the end of the truce yesterday citing repeated violations by the Houthis on a daily basis since the ceasefire was declared last month. A continuation of the truce would have benefited only the rebels who have been flagrantly violating it while the coalition forces have been abiding by its terms. The annulment now paves the way for heavy fighting between the two sides, making any solution to the Yemeni crisis very remote and cumbersome.
The coalition cannot be blamed for its decision because the rebels had no intention of honouring their commitments in the first place. “The ceasefire announced on December 15 had been ended due to continuous rebel attacks on the kingdom’s territories by firing ballistic missiles towards Saudi cities, targeting Saudi border posts, and hampering aid operations,” the alliance said in a statement, adding that the rebels have “continued to shell residents and kill and detain Yemeni civilians in cities under their control. “All this shows how unserious the militias and their allies are and their disregard for the lives of civilians, and how they have clearly exploited this truce to make gains,” it said.
More than 80 people, most of them soldiers and border guards, have been killed in shelling and cross-border fighting in Saudi’s south since coalition operations began in Yemen. The rebels have been ruthlessly firing missiles at Saudi, whose air defence forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired towards the city of Abha late on Friday. On Thursday, three civilians, including two children, were killed in missile attacks on a residential area in the southwestern Jazan region. The coalition realises that it will be foolish to stick to the truce under such grave provocations and killings of innocent civilians.
The Houthis are on the retreat in several areas in Yemen due to a powerful onslaught by the coalition forces, and the firing of missiles at Saudi is a ploy to deflect attention and inflict some damage on coalition forces. The Houthis seized Sanaa in September 2014 and then moved south to the second city of Aden, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government was internationally recognised, to flee to Saudi. But following huge advances by the loyalists, aided by the Gulf forces, Hadi returned to Aden in November after six months in exile. The rebels are now desperately trying to recover the lost ground but have been unsuccessful so far.
The unravelling of the truce would further complicate the Yemeni crisis and would hit the delivery of aid to tens of thousands who have been hit hard by the fighting. The onus is now on the UN to initiate measures to force the Houthis to quit Sanaa and agree to the comeback of Hadi.
