SANAA/ADEN: Yemenis welcomed a nationwide UN-brokered ceasefire due to come into effect on Saturday evening as a glimmer of hope in a country ravaged by a seven-year conflict that has forced millions into hunger, poverty and homelessness.
But after numerous failed attempts at peace and more than a year of escalating violence, Yemenis have greeted the news cautiously.
“The truce is good but I do not have faith in its success, because each side will have a different interpretation of how to implement it and it will collapse,” said 38-year-old electrician Murad Abdullah in Aden, the interim capital of Yemen’s government.
The two-month truce, which coincides with the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, is the first time since 2016 that warring sides have agreed a nationwide cessation of hostilities.
Government employee Ibtihal al-Arashi saw the deal as temporary, pointing to the failure of past Ramadan peace attempts. “We want to end this absurd war. We want real peace under a civil state that protects rights and freedoms,” she said. The ceasefire was due to come into effect at 7 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) and can be renewed.
The deal includes a halt to offensive military operations, including cross-border attacks, and also allows fuel imports into areas controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi group and some commercial flights to operate from the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.
A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which intervened in March 2015 in support of the Yemeni government against the Houthis, controls Yemen’s seas and air space. Customers in a busy Sanaa market welcomed the possibility that the truce might herald real progress after years of hardship.
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