Yemen: Houthi rebels and allies signal willingness to accept ceasefire

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/10/yemen-houthi-militia-ceasefire-saudi-arabia

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Ceasefire efforts in Yemen after more than six weeks of Saudi-led air strikes have gathered pace after renegade troops who helped Shia rebels seize much of the country said they would respond positively to a truce plan supported by the US.

The soldiers, who assisted the Iran-backed Houthi rebels with capturing vast swathes of Yemen, made no explicit reference to the five-day humanitarian truce that Riyadh has offered but expressed “readiness to deal positively with any efforts, calls or measures that would help end the suffering”.

Related: Saudi air strikes in Yemen target house of ex-president Saleh

The development comes as the UN expressed deep concern about the civilian death toll from the bombing campaign and the humanitarian impact of the air and sea blockade that Saudi Arabia and its allies have imposed.

More than a month of air strikes has caused severe shortages of food, medicine and fuel.

Coalition warplanes pounded the rebel stronghold of Saada in the northern mountains for the second night in a row on Saturday after declaring the province a military target despite aid agency pleas to spare trapped civilians.

They also carried out twin strikes on the Sana’a residence of the ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is accused of orchestrating the alliance between renegade army units and the rebels.

The Houthis issued a statement early on Sunday saying they would cooperate with the ceasefire to help people suffering from the severe fuel and food shortages now gripping the Arab world’s poorest country.

An Iranian cargo ship will set sail for the rebel-held Yemeni port of Hodeida on Sunday evening, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said, in a move likely to fan further tensions with Saudi-led forces blockading the country.

Tasnim reported that the cargo ship would carry 2,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid including food staples and medicine.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have accused Iran of seeking to smuggle weapons and ammunition to the Houthis.

The renegade army units, who remained loyal to Saleh after he was forced from power in early 2012, played a major part in the Iran-backed rebels taking control of large parts of Yemen.

Col Sharaf Luqman, a spokesman for the army defectors, said: “Following mediation from friendly countries to establish a humanitarian truce ... We announce our agreement.”

The Saba news agency, which is under the control of the Houthis, said on Sunday that Col Luqman warned the armed forces would retaliate in self-defence if anyone violated the truce, which is due to begin on Tuesday.

Supported by the US, the Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against the Houthis and army units loyal to Saleh on 26 March, with the aim of restoring the government of the president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, made the ceasefire proposal on Friday with strong backing from Washington, which has provided logistical support for its leading Arab ally but not carried out air strikes.

Al-Jubeir stressed that the truce offer needed to be matched by the rebels and that it would be broken off if they made any move to exploit it for military advantage.