Makhlafi lauds UN ceasefire in Yemen

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel Malak al Makhlafi lauded a 72-hour truce in Yemen announced by United Nation special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

The ceasefire will be put into effect as of Wednesday and can be renewed if all parties adhere to the truce, the truce commission is activated and the siege on Taiz is ended to allow humanitarian aid access, Makhlafi said in statements to the Yemeni news agency on Tuesday.

Makhlafi stressed the government's kennees on realizing peace, noting that the coup against legitimate state institutions had triggered the war.

Makhlafi accentuated support for the UN envoy.

He noted that the government dealt positively with all international peace calls, referring to the government's commitment to the UN Security Council Resolution 2,216 and relevant resolutions.

Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, which is the country’s main opposition force. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Saleh.

A Saudi Arabia–led coalition commenced airstrikes in Yemen in March 2015 in support of Hadi’s forces, which have been fighting Houthi rebels in the country.

Since March last year nearly 7,000 people have died and at least 3 million have been displaced, according to UN figures.

Source: MENA