The prime minister said the deal, negotiated by the UN special envoy to Yemen, could put an end to the suffering. Mr Johnson wrote on Twitter: “We now have a window of opportunity to finally secure peace and end humanitarian suffering – I urge all parties to work for a lasting political solution.” I welcome the announcement of a two-month truce in Yemen by @OSE_Yemen. We now have a window of opportunity to finally secure peace and end humanitarian suffering – I urge all parties to work for a lasting political solution. – Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 1, 2022 Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy to Yemen, said the two warring parties would begin a two-month truce at 7pm local time on Saturday as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins. He said the ceasefire would give Yemen “a necessary break from the violence, relief from humanitarian suffering and, above all, hope that this conflict can be ended”. Mr Grundberg added that the agreement “would not have been possible without international and regional support, for which I am grateful”. He said it was crucial that support continue. Yemen is now facing one of the worst humanitarian crises ever since the war, with the UN warning that more than 100,000 people have been displaced and two million civilians are at risk. Image: Houthi rebels in Yemen shoot in the air after claiming responsibility for attacks in 2019 How did the war start? The official government of the Middle East country is backed by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that has used mainly airstrikes in its fight against the Houthi rebel group since 2015. The Houthis have used drones and missiles to attack both Saudi Arabia and its ally, the United Arab Emirates. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:13 More than 70 were killed in an airstrike in Yemen in January A popular uprising in 2011 saw long-term authoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh hand over power to his deputy, but the new leader is overwhelmed by Yemen’s economic and security problems – and most of the armed forces were loyal to his predecessor. The Houthis took advantage of his weakness and in 2014 took control of the northern province of Saada, then the capital of Sanaa, forcing the president to flee abroad in 2015. Subsequently, Saudi Arabia and other Arab states launched an air campaign to oust the Houthis in March 2015, fearing that the minority Muslim rebel group would take control of Yemen. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:29 Yemen: “This escalation must stop,” says the UN The United States, the United Kingdom and France have all supported the coalition in terms of logistics and intelligence. Since the beginning of 2022, fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi coalition has intensified. The UN says both sides have committed war crimes – although both deny it.
