UN Yemen envoy in Aden to sustain truce – Details
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, arrived in the interim capital to meet with the Presidential Command Council on extending the truce and to discuss a proposal to open roads.
This comes a day after the conclusion of a first round of negotiations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, between representatives of the Yemeni government and Houthi militias to lift the siege of Taiz imposed by the putschists seven and a half years ago.
A government source told Al Ain News that the UN envoy arrived to Yemen at Aden International Airport from Jordan to meet with Chairman of the Presidential Council Rashad Al Alimi and members of the leadership council at Al-Maashiq Palace.
Grundberg is expected to discuss the opening of roads to Taiz and other governorates and the chances of extending the humanitarian truce, with results to be announced later.
On Saturday, the UN envoy to Yemen announced that the Houthi and Shia delegations had agreed in principle to a proposal to gradually reopen the roads, including a mechanism for implementation and guarantees for the safety of civilian passengers.
The UN proposal included the gradual opening of six roads to Taiz within a month, following arduous negotiations in Jordan that lasted three days, and the options presented by the two parties, to open major roads in Taiz and other provinces under the truce agreement.
The conclusion of the first round of negotiations without explicitly announcing the lifting of the siege of Taiz is a new disappointment for all Yemenis as Houthi militias reemerge as a party seeking to fragment the agreements and not make any concessions to alleviate human suffering under the UN truce.
While the Houthis are trying to open the roads, the humanitarian truce is rapidly unraveling for four days, and the fate of its extension remains subject to the barter of militias seeking what they call economic and humanitarian benefits.
The humanitarian truce went into effect on April 2nd and will last until June 2nd. The Yemeni government fulfilled its humanitarian provisions through the flow of fuel through Hodeida port and flights to Sanaa airport, while the Houthis did not implement any provision, including lifting the siege of Taiz and handing over salaries.
Observers had earlier said that Jordan’s consultations, which began last Wednesday, were likely to succeed, as Houthi was intransigent and militias sought to fragment the agreements in order to replicate another version of the Stockholm agreement that has been stalled since December 18, 2018.
