- “For the past two months, Yemenis have experienced the tangible benefits of the truce,” Hans Grundberg said
- There had been intense efforts to salvage the deal which was threatened by stalled talks on reopening roads in disputed Taiz
RIYADH: Yemen’s warring parties agreed to extend a UN-brokered truce for two months under the same terms as the original deal that was due to expire on Thursday, the UN envoy to Yemen said.
Delegations from the legitimate government and the Houthis are expected to return to the Jordanian capital Amman to continue talks, a Yemeni official said.
The truce had seen a halt to major military operations in Yemen and cross-border attacks in the seven-year war between the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen and the Iran-aligned Houthi group, and helped to ease a humanitarian crisis that has left millions hungry.
“For the past two months, Yemenis have experienced the tangible benefits of the truce,” United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement.
The truce is the most significant step in years toward ending the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.
The renewed agreement will allow for fuel ships to continue to dock into Houthi-held Hodeidah port and some commercial flights from the airport in the capital Sanaa, which is controlled by the group.
There had been intense efforts to salvage the deal which was threatened by stalled talks on reopening roads in disputed Taiz, where Houthi troops have imposed a siege for years.
The United Nations is also seeking to start broader political discussions including on shoring up Yemen’s devastated economy, government revenues and public sector salaries.