Despite welcoming lowered violence in Yemen, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths demanded pouring more effort into shoring up a fragile Hodeidah ceasefire deal, before holding additional rounds of peace talks.
Briefing the United Nations Security Council through video from Amman, Jordan, Griffiths said that Yemen’s warring parties are still working to finalize a deal covering both a prisoners’ swap and the opening of routes for humanitarian relief convoys.
Noting that the December 18 ceasefire, dubbed the Stockholm Agreement, in and around Hodeidah had been largely adhered to, Griffiths said the fighting was now “very limited” compared to the clashes beforehand.
“This relative calm, I believe, indicates the tangible benefit of the Stockholm Agreement for the Yemeni people and the continued commitment of the parties to making the agreement work,” he asserted.
The UN envoy also revealed Yemeni warring parties, the internationally-recognized government headed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and Iran-backed Houthi insurgents, are working to close a de-escalation agreement for the southern Taiz province.
“Civilians in Taiz have suffered far too much for too long, and the destruction in the city has been terrible”, he underscored.
“The flow of humanitarian aid needs to increase, and people need the chance to rebuild”, he added, pointing out that the Stockholm consultations provided a platform for this.
As for upcoming Yemeni peace talks, leaks suggested holding a new round of talks either in Kuwait or Jordan. However, this information has not been formally confirmed. Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani will be visiting Jordan on Thursday, during which he will discuss with Jordanian officials issues related to the Yemeni conflict, Jordanian Foreign Ministry sources said.
Hadi, for his part, reiterated his government’s support for UN-led diplomatic efforts and revealed readiness to re-run domestic flights—rebooting local transportation is meant to alleviate the suffering of citizens in all Yemeni provinces and airports, including Sanaa airport.
Hadi said that his government has presented many “concessions in order to achieve peace,” but was unfortunately met with intransigence by Houthis, who find it hard to uphold their end of agreements and understandings.
