The coalition led by Saudi Arabiawhich supports the government against the Houthi rebels in the conflict in Yemen, announced on Tuesday night the cessation of military operations from Wednesday during the fasting month of Ramadan.
“The coalition hereby announces the cessation of military operations in Yemen from 06:00 on Wednesday, March 30, 2022,” it said in a statement published by the Saudi press agency SPA.
This ceasefire is intended to offer “the necessary favorable conditions for the success of the consultations (Yemenis, ndlr) and a favorable environment during the holy month of Ramadan to achieve peace in Yemen“, the coalition command added in a statement.
After launching 16 attacks on the oil kingdom on Friday, the Houthi rebels announced a three-day unilateral truce on Saturday.
The insurgents, backed by IranThey proposed that this truce become “permanent” if Riyadh lifts the “blockade” of Yemen, stops its air strikes and withdraws its “forces” from this country, at war since 2014.
On Tuesday morning, Riyadh said it expected “serious measures” from the Yemeni rebels, including an exchange of prisoners, before ruling on the truce.
The insurgents announced on Sunday night an agreement on the release of 1,400 prisoners held by the government and 823 held by the Houthis, including 16 Saudis, three Sudanese and the brother of Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansur Hadi.
“A prisoner exchange agreement has been concluded with the mediation of the United Nations,” Houthi representative Abdelkader Al-Mourtada wrote on Twitter.
Government official Hadi Haig said on Twitter that the deal was “still under study.”
The latest prisoner exchange allowed the release of more than 1,000 people in October 2020.
Riyadh also hosts talks on Wednesday under the auspices of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups the six countries of the peninsula, but without the participation of the Houthis who refused to go to “enemy” territory.