A UN-brokered ceasefire was taking hold in Yemen on Monday despite sporadic clashes, raising hopes that peace talks due next week may finally resolve the country's devastating conflict. Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, the Shiite Huthi rebels who drove his government out of the capital, and the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen last year all pledged to honour the truce that took effect at midnight on Sunday.
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, called the ceasefire "a first step in Yemen's return to peace". "This is critical, urgent and much needed. Yemen cannot afford the loss of more lives," he said. Previous efforts to stop the fighting in Yemen - which has killed thousands and forced more than two million people from their homes - collapsed amid mutual recriminations.
The conflict in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula nation has ruined large parts of the country and raised Middle East tensions, with Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies backing the government and Shiite powerhouse Iran supporting the rebels. Jihadists including from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the powerful Yemeni branch of the extremist network, have exploited the conflict to seize territory and gain influence. But pressure had been building for the ceasefire and there are hopes it can be the cornerstone of a long-lasting peace deal that can be hammered out at talks taking place from April 18 in Kuwait.
General Mohamed Ali al-Makdashi, the chief of staff for Hadi's forces, said early Monday the ceasefire was largely holding despite some violations by rebels. "The truce has not collapsed and we hope the rebels end their attacks and respect the ceasefire," he said, alleging breaches in several areas including the cities of Taez in the southwest and Marib east of Sanaa. Loyalists accused Huthis of 25 violations around Taez, where one civilian was killed in rebel bombing.