Extension of verbal guarantees: the truce is before the test

Sana’a | The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced that the parties to the conflict agreed to extend the humanitarian and military truce for an additional two months. Al-Akhbar learned, from diplomatic sources, that the agreement was to proceed with the same previous clauses, with Grundberg’s commitment to seek to consolidate the agreement and complete the implementation of its provisions, and his pledge to Sana’a to resolve the state employee’s salary file, according to the “Stockholm Agreement” mechanism. It is worth mentioning, here, that the basic agreement that entered into force on April 2, and expired yesterday, stipulates the cessation of all military operations inside and outside Yemen, allowing oil derivatives to enter the ports of Hodeidah, and operating two commercial flights per week to and from Sana’a, as well as Arranging consultations to understand the opening of humanitarian roads and corridors in Taiz and other governorates.

During the past 48 hours, the city of Aden witnessed a US-European diplomatic movement, with the aim of pushing for the extension of the armistice. According to well-informed political sources who spoke to Al-Akhbar, this movement aimed to persuade the “Presidential Council” loyal to the Saudi-Emirati alliance to agree to Grundberg’s proposals, regarding addressing the crisis of state employees’ salaries, and the gradual opening of roads. The sources indicated, at the time, that Sanaa’s approval of the extension depends on the results of these efforts, which are led by the American and Swedish envoys, Tim Lenderking and Peter Siemens, who are in Aden accompanied by 9 ambassadors from the European Union countries.

More than 7 million people are one step away from acute hunger

While Linderking met with the President of the Presidential Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, the day before yesterday, the German ambassador, Hubert Jaeger, met with the head and members of the negotiating team on the roads file. Similarly, Siemens discussed the path of the armistice with the prime minister of the government loyal to the “coalition”, Moeen Abdul Malik. Grundberg had met with representatives of the “economic committee” in Sana’a, and assured them that the salary file would be a top priority in the next stage. While the results of this diplomatic movement were awaiting, which the United Nations hinted on Wednesday evening that it might result in the extension of the ceasefire agreement, as confirmed by the spokesperson for the International Organization, Stephane Dujarric, the latter received “initial positive indications”, threw the “Supreme Political Council” in Sana’a Once once more, the ball is in the court of the United Nations and the “coalition”, reiterating his linking the extension of the truce to completing the implementation of the terms of the previous agreement, especially in terms of fulfilling the agreed commercial air flights, ensuring a cessation of ceasefire violations, and adding new provisions related, especially to ending the ongoing suffering of employees and retirees Seven years ago.
In the same context, a source in the Sana’a government explained to Al-Akhbar that the demands of the “political council” come within the framework of its efforts to stop the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country, noting that the United Nations realizes that these conditions are heading to a more dangerous stage, especially in light of Warnings issued by international relief agencies, the latest of which are those issued by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, David Grisley. According to reports by the World Food Program and UNICEF, 24 million Yemenis are in urgent need of urgent assistance, out of 25 million living below the extreme poverty line, of whom more than 7 million are one step away from acute hunger.