Saudi coalition declares unilateral truce in Yemen

RIYADH－The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels has declared a two-week cease-fire in the country starting on Thursday in a bid to combat the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

The unilateral cease-fire follows an escalation in fighting between the warring parties despite a call by the United Nations for an immediate cessation to protect civilians in the Arab world's poorest nation from the pandemic.

The nationwide cease-fire took effect from 9 am GMT on Thursday, marking the first breakthrough since the warring parties agreed to a UN-brokered truce in the port city of Hodeida during talks in Sweden in late 2018.

The two-week truce, which could be extended, was aimed at creating "appropriate conditions" for a UN-sponsored meeting between the warring parties to enable a "permanent cease-fire" in Yemen, said Turki al-Maliki, the military alliance's spokesman, on Wednesday.

There was no immediate reaction from the Iran-backed rebels.

But hours before the announcement, the rebels released a comprehensive document that called for a withdrawal of foreign troops and the end of the coalition's blockade on Yemen's land, sea and air ports.

The coalition, which launched its military intervention to support Yemen's internationally recognized government in 2015, said it was fully committed to a two-week cease-fire.

But when asked whether it will respond if the rebels persist with attacks during the truce, a Saudi official said it reserved the right to "defend our people".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the truce.

"This can help to advance efforts toward peace as well as the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic," he said in a statement.

The cease-fire came as Saudi Arabia, reeling from plunging oil prices, seeks to extricate itself from the costly five-year conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Sign of 'good will'

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman called on the rebels to "show good will" by seriously engaging in dialogue.

"The two week cease-fire will hopefully create a more effective climate to de-escalate tensions, and work with (UN special envoy Martin Griffiths) toward a sustainable political settlement," Prince Khalid said on Twitter.

The UN has repeatedly called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Yemen to help avert potentially disastrous consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.

Yemen's broken healthcare system has so far recorded no cases of the COVID-19 illness, but aid groups have warned that when it does hit, the impact will be catastrophic.

"The cease-fire seems to be more of a courtesy than a policy－it comes in response to UN calls to de-escalate during the COVID-19 crisis," said Fatima Abo Alasrar, a scholar at the Middle East Institute.

Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels had all welcomed an appeal from Guterres for an "immediate global cease-fire" to help avert disaster for vulnerable people in conflict zones.

"It is most important to watch if the Houthis will stop their military operations," Alasrar said.

"That will be the real litmus test of a successful cease-fire as the Houthis have currently opened multiple battlefronts they cannot afford to close."

Fighting recently escalated again between the rebels and Riyadh-backed Yemeni troops around the strategic northern districts of Al-Jouf and Marib, ending a months-long lull.

And Saudi air defenses intercepted Yemeni rebel missiles over Riyadh and the border city of Jizan late last month, leaving two civilians wounded in the curfew-locked capital, state media reported.

It was the first major assault on Saudi Arabia since the rebels offered in September to halt attacks on the kingdom after devastating assaults on Saudi oil installations.

Last week, the coalition carried out multiple airstrikes on Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa in retaliation for the missile strikes.

Agencies - Xinhua