Saudi Arabia offered a five-day humanitarian truce yesterday to the Houthi militia it has hit with weeks of air strikes in neighbouring Yemen, on condition that fighting across Yemen stops.
International concern about Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation has grown as fighting, air strikes and an arms embargo have led to civilian deaths, internal displacement, destruction of infrastructure and shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
“The pause will affect all of Yemen for a period of five days,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said. “The actual date will be announced shortly as well as the requirements. This is all based on the Houthis complying with the ceasefire.”
The offer of a truce comes days after the Houthis started shelling Saudi border towns, prompting renewed air strikes in Yemen, and as the militia advanced into a last central area of Aden, a city whose fate is seen as pivotal to Yemen’s civil war.
Yemen is facing a dire humanitarian situation
At a news conference alongside Jubeir, US Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the proposal and said neither Riyadh nor Washington was talking about sending ground troops to Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s military spokesman had said late on Wednesday that all options were open, including ground operations, to stop the mortar attacks on its border towns.
The US has supported the Saudi-led coalition which began strikes against the Houthis and forces loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh on March 26 with the aim of restoring the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Riyadh fears the Houthis, who are allied to its foe Iran, will dominate the kingdom’s southern neighbour, and that the advance of their Shi’ite Muslim fighters into Sunni areas will provoke sectarian fighting that al-Qaeda can exploit.
Iran has denied Saudi and Yemeni government charges that it arms and trains the Houthis.
A second night on Wednesday of air raids to suppress further Houthi shelling struck the group’s stronghold of Saada, near Yemen’s Saudi border, and the small port of Maidi.
Yesterday, Houthi-linked Al-Masirah TV showed fighters in a key district of Aden, and reported that the southern port city’s presidential palace was in their hands.
Villagers from Yemen’s northern Hajah province say many residents have left their homes because of the Saudi bombardment and are seeking refuge in other areas where they lack food.
Most of those displaced are from the Haradh district, where there is an important border crossing with Saudi Arabia and which has come under heavy artillery and air attack since the Houthis launched shells from the area at Saudi villages.