People of Yemen asking for a ceasefire.© unrwa.org

INTERNATIONAL

As Ramadhan begins, Two month ceasefire announced in Yemen

By News Desk

April 02, 2022

The Saudi-led coalition has agreed to a ceasefire after the seven-year conflict in Yemen.

The first truce would allow fuel imports into Yemen and some flights operating from Sanaa airport, the U.N. envoy said on Friday.

The U.N.-brokered deal between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group is the most significant step yet towards ending a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and pushed millions into hunger. The last coordinated cessation of hostilities nationwide was during peace talks in 2016, Reuters reported.

The truce has been called for a two-month truce that would come into effect on Saturday at 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) and could be renewed with the consent of the parties.

The UN estimated that by the end of 2021, the conflict in Yemen would have caused over 377,000 deaths, with 60% of them the result of hunger, lack of healthcare, and unsafe water.

U.N also said that 10,200 children are known to have been killed or wounded as a direct result of the fighting.

Yemen has also suffered from one of the largest cholera outbreaks ever recorded, with 2.5 million suspected cases and about 4,000 related deaths since 2016.