RIYADH/SANA’A: Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels in Yemen have agreed to a six-month truce, according to Yemeni state sources. The announcement comes after Saudi Arabia released more than a dozen Houthi prisoners ahead of a broader prisoner release, as agreed by the warring sides.
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A Houthi official confirmed that 13 Houthi captives released by Saudi Arabia had arrived in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. Omani officials also arrived in Sana’a as part of international efforts to end Yemen’s years-long conflict.
Arab media reports that the truce is intended to open the door for three months of negotiations on a two-year transitional arrangement. The negotiations will cover topics such as opening Yemen’s ports and airports, paying civil servants their salaries, reconstruction initiatives, and political transition. The movement of products has already begun at the southern ports controlled by the Houthis after the Arab alliance relaxed the import restrictions placed on Yemen in February, as a result of significant progress in the negotiations between the two sides.
According to the Yemeni government, 500 different items, including batteries and fertilizer, are now permitted to be brought into the southern ports of Yemen, including Aden. All commercial ships will be able to anchor directly there starting today. The truce and release of prisoners offer a glimmer of hope for an end to the long-running conflict, which has left millions of Yemenis on the brink of famine and suffering from the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
