The cessation of hostilities began from 2100 GMT on Sunday to the end of Kuwait peace talks between the warring Yemeni sides which are scheduled for April 18 in order to end 282 days of civil war.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab coalition announced previously they would honor the cease-fire, but the coalition reserves the right to retaliate and confront any breaches by Houthis on-ground.
Yemen's Foreign Minister Abul-Malik Mekhlafi said "President Hadi ordered leadership of the armed forces across the country to fully abide by the cease-fire."
The Shiite Houthi group and their allies in the capital city Sanaa issued an official declaration that they will respect the cease-fire, according pro-Houthi media outlets.
The armed confrontations continued between pro-government troops and the Shiite Houthi rebels in the country's southern province of Taiz two hours before the cease-fire took effect.
Less than one hour before the start of the cease-fire, Saudi-led warplanes launched five airstrikes against positions held by Houthis in Serwah area of northern Marib province.
Military sources told Xinhua that army reinforcements loyal to the Shiite Houthi group that was backed by heavy armored vehicles were mobilized to several battlefields hours before the cease-fire.
It's the fourth cease-fire since the Saudi-led coalition began air strikes in March 2015 to support the legitimate government of Yemen's internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Previous cease-fires have failed while negotiations collapsed, but analysts expect a more conducive atmosphere during the Kuwait talks next week.
The impoverished Arab country was plunged into violence in September 2014 when the Shiite Houthi group invaded the country's capital Sanaa, driving President Hadi into exile.
The conflict soon turned into an all-out civil war between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels who were backed by troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, triggering foreign military intervention by Saudi-led coalition that aims to restore the internationally recognized government of Hadi.
More than 6,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians.
The warring forces have failed to reach a political solution to end the ongoing war, but agreed to resume new round of talks next week in Kuwait after their latest UN-sponsored negotiations in Switzerland in December 2015.
The deadlock came after former pro-rebel President Saleh said he would not negotiate with Hadi's government, vowing to "continue fighting to expel the coalition forces out of the Yemeni territories."
[Xinhua - globaltimes.cn]
11/4/16
--
-
Related:
UN: Yemen's warring parties agree to April 10 ceasefire
Yémen: la coalition arabe a tué deux fois plus de civils que toutes les autres forces
Death toll from Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen rises to 65
U.S. Navy seizes weapons headed for Yemen rebels
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Warring Yemen sides vow to respect ceasefire...
ReplyDeletePro-government and militia forces in Yemen have pledged to honor a truce which began at midnight Sunday (2100 GMT) ahead of new UN-backed talks aimed at ending more than a year of war.
The Houthi militias, along with allied troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have sent the United Nations a letter committing to "cease land, sea and air military operations" throughout Yemen, according to a communique carried by the rebel-run Saba news agency.
The chief of staff of forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi confirmed "the ceasefire has taken effect".
General Mohamed Ali al-Makdashi told reporters that "we are going to respect it... unless the Houthi rebels violate it".
A Saudi-led coalition has for more than a year been supporting the Hadi forces against the Houthis who seized much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa. The coalition also said it would respect the truce.
Yemen’s foreign minister expressed alarm after reported breaches minutes after a ceasefire went into effect at 2100 GMT on Sunday in the country, just a week before the upcoming UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait.....alarabiya.net