Efforts continue to extend truce in Yemen

An Omani delegation has departed Yemen's capital Sanaa after holding talks with the Houthi group over efforts to resume a truce with the Yemeni government, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported Monday.

During the four-day visit, the mediators discussed arrangements for "the next round of negotiations, including resuming truce and seeking solutions to the humanitarian issues," said the television, without revealing when a new round of negotiation will be held.

The previous truce, which was brokered by the United Nations, lasted for six months and expired in October last year. However, fightings between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces have largely abated on several frontlines in the absence of a truce.

Last week, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in his briefing to the UN Security Council that "the two sides continue to display a general willingness to seek solutions, but this still needs to be translated into concrete steps, in particular, a clear agreement on the way forward that includes restarting an inclusive Yemeni political process."

Turning to the increasingly dire economic situation, Grundberg noted the Yemeni Government is still being prevented from exporting petroleum products, its major source of revenue. Power stations are shutting down due to lack of fuel, and electricity cuts in Aden are reaching 18 hours per day amid sweltering weather. Amid these terrible conditions

Despite relative calm since the expiration of a truce in October 2022, Houthi militias in Yemen continue to threaten the country’s fragile security, humanitarian and economic situations, speakers told the Security Council, calling for urgent action by all parties to relaunch the political peace process.

Analysts echoed condemnation of continued Houthi violence in numerous areas which threatens an already volatile security and humanitarian situation — stressing that an inclusive peace process under UN auspices is the only pathway to permanently end the war.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Yemeni government out of Sanaa. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.