Security Council backs UN chief’s call for Yemen ceasefire

A Yemeni woman passes motorcyclists in the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen. EPA

The United Nations 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.

In its first statement on recent developments in Yemen, the UN’s most powerful body welcomed the unilateral cease-fire announced by the Saudi-led coalition to support the UN-led peace process and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ call for a cease-fire. The two-week cease-fire went into effect on April 9.

The council statement followed a briefing Thursday by UN special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, who said the threat of Covid19, the illness caused by the virus, has galvanised peace efforts.

He said talks with the Saudi-backed government and Yemen’s Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, “are making very good progress” and he expects the warring sides 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 cease-fire “without delay,” and called on both parties “to engage constructively” on Mr 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 Arab world’s poorest country, convulsed by civil war since 2014, when the Houthis took control of the country’s north, including the capital, Sanaa.

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.”