Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour
Hadi has agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire
which could be extended if the Houthi
rebels reciprocate, Foreign Minister
Abdul-Malik al-Mekhlafi announced on
social media on Monday.
Later on Monday, Ismail Ould Cheikh
Ahmed, UN special envoy for Yemen,
announced that the Houthis had also
agreed to abide by the deal.
"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 UN statement said.
Yemen's government had imposed one
condition before agreeing to the truce:
that the Houthis allow some
humanitarian aid to enter the city of
Taiz.
There have already been several failed
attempts to defuse the conflict in Yemen,
which is facing a humanitarian
catastrophe according to the UN.
The latest ceasefire is expected to start at
21:00 GMT on Wednesday.
The latest development comes a week
after an Arab-led coalition backing Hadi
bombed a funeral hall in the rebel-held
capital Sanaa, killing at least 140 people.
The air strike, which the coalition
blamed on mistaken information, drew
international condemnation, and led to
pressure for a ceasefire from the United
States and Britain.
The Yemeni conflict intensified in March
last year when the Houthis and their
allies marched on Hadi's last strongholds
in southern Yemen, prompting the
Saudi-led Arab coalition to launch an air
campaign in support of the
internationally recognised president.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir
also indicated on Monday that it will
support the ceasefire.
The UN has been calling for a halt to the
air strikes since September last year,
saying they are responsible for the
majority of civilian casualties in the
conflict.
The conflict has had a devastating effect
on Yemen, already one of the Arab
world's poorest countries, leaving
millions reliant on aid for access to food,
clean water and medical care.
Source: Al Jazeera
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