A 72-hour cease fire was agreed to by Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Monday night, with the possibility of an extension.

A 72-hour cease fire was agreed to by Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi on Monday night, with the possibility of an extension.

“The President agreed to a 72 hrs ceasefire to be extended if the other party adheres to it,” Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mekhlafi said on twitter.

The agreement triggers a ceasefire which would end the siege of the city of Taez. “We are here to call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, which will be declared in the next few hours,” said UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

He said the warring factions had agreed to follow the terms and conditions of a temporary April cease-fire agreement. He expressed hope that the upcoming cease-fire would lead “to a permanent and lasting end to the conflict.”

Ahmed said the agreement obliges all parties “to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel” to all parts of Yemen.

UN announcement

The cessation of hostilities would begin at 23:59 local time on Wednesday and could be renewed after the initial three-day period, the United Nations said in statement

“The Special Envoy welcomes the restoration of the Cessation of Hostilities, which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance,” the statement said.

The cease-fire agreement was announced a day after Ahmed met in London with US Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as a flurry of diplomacy focused on the impoverished war-torn country.

“This is the time to implement a cease-fire unconditionally and then move to the negotiating table,” Kerry said after Sunday’s meeting.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when militias known as Houthis based in the north seized the capital Sanaa. In March 2015, The Arab coalition launched a campaign of airstrikes against the rebels.

[vuukle]