Yemen truce begins

20.10.2016

Today, a 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen went into effect.

Details

This is the fifth ceasefire over the course of the war in Yemen. It is supposed to be extended, but none of the parties believe that this is possible. Both sides, the Houthis rebells and Saudi Arabia’s coalition, have accused each other of trying to disrupt the truce.

However, we know that a truce has been in the works for a long time, but Saudi Arabia agreed to it only after committing obvious war crimes, as when Saudi aircraft bombed a funeral procession, which killed at least 140 people.

Humanitarian mission

Despite the fact that the ceasefire went into effect without violations, the UN has stated that this decision was taken too suddenly, so it is likely that the UN will unable to ensure a full humanitarian mission.

Similar statements have been made on the ceasefire in Syria. A spokesperson for the United Nations said that the UN will wait for "full security guarantees" before beginning to deliver humanitarian aid, and added that he understood that in wartime and even during a truce, such guarantees are impossible.

In addition, the UN has complained of difficulties in the delivery of goods, since many ports in Yemen have been damaged over the course of the hostilities. They also complained about Haitian roads being unusable due to the hurricane. It looks like the UN barely understands the real situation during war and other disasters when aid is most needed.

However, the real reason for such an approach is the fact that humanitarian missions have become a political issue. Those countries which are acting, directly or indirectly, against Washington immediately become those to which it is “difficult” to deliver aid.

Fortunately, the United Nations is not the only organization rendering humanitarian assistance. Many other countries, including Russia, are involved in this mission.

Roadmap

The roadmap of options to extend the truce or even end the war is a work in process. Earlier, the Houthis declared that peace is a priority for them.

A special statement was released by the elected president of Yemen, Ali Saleh. He named several conditions that need to be taken into account by international organizations in the planning of peacekeeping operations.

In particular, it was noted that a paragraph on holding elections must be included in any peace plan. In 2012, he insisted on the same condition when he refused to leave his position at the will of Western leaders and organizations.

"Any talks or negotiations by Yemeni delegates must be on the condition that the United Nations offers a written and comprehensive peace plan, ... If the proposal does not include an agreement on the new presidential institution, then it becomes merely a partial and incomplete vision, which cannot be a foundation for discussion. "

The previous plan submitted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in August was blocked by the Houthis because it assumed the unilateral surrender of weapons by the rebels. It is obvious that Washington was trying to prepare the ground for a fully-fledged Saudi invasion.

whose interests

Despite the saying that truce is always in the interests of civilians, many military experts do not always agree with this statement. Recently, the ceasefire has become an opportunity for terrorists to relocate.

The United States made it clear that they have begun a direct intervention in this conflict when they fired at Houthi radar stations and vowed to continue attacks. Therefore, it is likely that during the so-called “truce", coalition forces will be positioned accordingly.

In addition, the position of the UN on humanitarian goods provokes many countries to make aid delivery by themselves. However, we cannot forget what the White House is really delivering. Weapons and ammunition hidden in American humanitarian trucks on the way to Syria have been repeatedly found.

Most likely, the same situation will unfold in Yemen. After three days, even more brutal fighting will flare up.

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Yemen truce begins

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