The UN Security Council on Friday endorsed the secretary-general’s call for the warring parties in Yemen to immediately stop fighting and focus on reaching a peace agreement and countering the outbreak of the new coronavirus.
The UN’s most powerful body welcomed the unilateral, two-week ceasefire announced by the Saudi-led Arab coalition that went into effect April 9 to support the UN-led peace process and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a truce.
Despite the announcement, the Iran-backed Houthi militias have continued their violations across the country. Yemen’s official SABA news agency said Houthi shelling of residential areas in central Bayda province killed a woman and two children and wounded several civilians on Friday.
Yemeni tribal leaders said legitimate government forces retook the large Khanjar military camp in the strategic northern Jawf province, which they had lost to the Houthis earlier this month. The leaders spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The council statement followed a briefing Thursday by UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, who said the threat of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, has galvanized peace efforts.
Griffith said talks with the warring sides “are making very good progress” and that he expects them to adopt proposals for a nationwide cease-fire and peace talks “in the immediate future.”
The Security Council “voiced concerns about the ongoing hostilities,” called on the Houthis to commit to a ceasefire “without delay,” and urged both parties “to engage constructively” on Griffiths’ proposals and reach agreement “as soon as possible.”
The arrival of the coronavirus in Yemen, which reported its first case earlier this month, threatens deeper and more widespread suffering in the country, convulsed by war since 2014, when the Houthis staged a coup against the legitimate forces.
Council members underlined “the vital importance” of access to humanitarian and economic aid for Yemenis in need, which is “especially important in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
