2-month truce to be established in Yemen, UN announces
Yemeni police inspect a site bombed by Saudi-led airstrikes targeting two houses in Sanaa, Yemen, March 26, 2022. (AP Photo)


The conflicting sides in Yemen have agreed on a two-month cease-fire, U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Friday.

"I would like to announce that the parties to the conflict have responded positively to a United Nations proposal for a two-month truce which comes into effect tomorrow on April 2 at 19:00 hours," Grundberg pointed out.

He added that the parties had agreed to halt all offensive military air, ground and maritime operations inside Yemen and across its borders.

"They also agreed for fuel ships to enter into Hudaydah ports and commercial flights to operate in and out of Sanaa International Airport to predetermined destinations in the region," he said.

The U.N. official said the truce could be renewed beyond the two-month period with the consent of the parties involved.

"The aim of this truce is to give Yemenis a necessary break from violence, relief from the humanitarian suffering and, most importantly, hope that an end to this conflict is possible," he said.

On Wednesday, the Saudi-led alliance fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels had announced a cease-fire.

The coalition announced that it would observe a cease-fire with a view to "creating propitious conditions needed for successful consultations and a favorable environment for the Holy Month of Ramadan to make peace and achieve security and stability in Yemen," through Saudi news agency SPA.

In mid-March, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) invited the parties to the conflict to talks in Riyadh. The weeklong consultations were due to start on March 29 but the Houthi rebels refused to participate.