After a year of civil war, there is a glimmer of hope in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition forces and the Houthi rebels have agreed to a ceasefire starting April 10, to be followed by the United Nations-sponsored peace talks a week later. Paving the way for the ceasefire and peace talks was a prisoner swap which happened last week in which nine Saudi prisoners were exchanged for 109 Yemeni nationals. People of Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country that has been nearly destroyed in the war, are pinning their hopes on the forthcoming truce and the peace process.
More than 6,200 people have been killed, almost half of them civilians, and more than 30,000 have been injured in the year-long war, according to the World Health Organisation estimates. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and the country’s economy has been reduced to ruins. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy to Yemen, is very optimistic about the peace talks. He said that the recent confidence-building measures taken by both sides have brightened the chances of success of the peace process and can speed up the political process.
The Gulf countries are keen on a negotiated settlement to the war in Yemen. They were forced to intervene in this conflict a year ago after the Iran-backed Houthis ousted from power the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition of Sunni forces began a military campaign to reinstall the government of Hadi and prevent Houthi rebels and forces loyal to ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking control of the entire country. The Saudi-led campaign has been successful and the Houthi rebels were thwarted in their attempts to take control of the country.
A solution to the Yemen conflict lies only in the restoration of Hadi government. Houthis must withdraw from the territories they have captured and pave the way for the restoration of the Hadi government because Houthis’ expansion is illegal and against the international laws.
A political solution to the conflict will not be easy and will be time-consuming, but the ceasefire will give a huge relief to people who are trapped in the war. But there is a sense of hope about the peace process. The UN envoy said that “they were planning and preparing at full speed”. “The UN political experts have already been deployed to Sanaa and Riyadh in order to work with the delegations gearing up for
the resumption of talks. Another team is on its way to Kuwait to finalize the preparations,” he added.
The cessation of hostilities that will begin next week must be converted into a permanent truce. With several countries in the Middle East in turmoil, Yemen cannot continue to burn.
After a year of civil war, there is a glimmer of hope in Yemen. The Saudi-led coalition forces and the Houthi rebels have agreed to a ceasefire starting April 10, to be followed by the United Nations-sponsored peace talks a week later. Paving the way for the ceasefire and peace talks was a prisoner swap which happened last week in which nine Saudi prisoners were exchanged for 109 Yemeni nationals. People of Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country that has been nearly destroyed in the war, are pinning their hopes on the forthcoming truce and the peace process.
More than 6,200 people have been killed, almost half of them civilians, and more than 30,000 have been injured in the year-long war, according to the World Health Organisation estimates. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and the country’s economy has been reduced to ruins. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy to Yemen, is very optimistic about the peace talks. He said that the recent confidence-building measures taken by both sides have brightened the chances of success of the peace process and can speed up the political process.
The Gulf countries are keen on a negotiated settlement to the war in Yemen. They were forced to intervene in this conflict a year ago after the Iran-backed Houthis ousted from power the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition of Sunni forces began a military campaign to reinstall the government of Hadi and prevent Houthi rebels and forces loyal to ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh from taking control of the entire country. The Saudi-led campaign has been successful and the Houthi rebels were thwarted in their attempts to take control of the country.
A solution to the Yemen conflict lies only in the restoration of Hadi government. Houthis must withdraw from the territories they have captured and pave the way for the restoration of the Hadi government because Houthis’ expansion is illegal and against the international laws.
A political solution to the conflict will not be easy and will be time-consuming, but the ceasefire will give a huge relief to people who are trapped in the war. But there is a sense of hope about the peace process. The UN envoy said that “they were planning and preparing at full speed”. “The UN political experts have already been deployed to Sanaa and Riyadh in order to work with the delegations gearing up for
the resumption of talks. Another team is on its way to Kuwait to finalize the preparations,” he added.
The cessation of hostilities that will begin next week must be converted into a permanent truce. With several countries in the Middle East in turmoil, Yemen cannot continue to burn.
