Yemen: Ceasefire Begins
AFP reports that the Yemen ceasefire began at noon on Tuesday, in advance of the Geneva peace talks.
A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Brig. Gen. Ahmed, Al-Assiri, confirmed that the truce had started at the appointed time. The Houthi rebel forces have not released a statement to confirm or deny their agreement to the terms of the ceasefire.
The ceasefire was supposed to begin at midnight, but was pushed back twelve hours at the request of embattled Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
“The ceasefire (will last) for a period of seven days starting from the 15th to the 21st of December in conjunction with the launch of consultations, and will be renewed automatically in the event of the commitment of the other party,” a statement by the Saudi Press Agency quoted Hadi as saying.
Representatives from both Presidential loyalists and the Houthi rebels are currently in Geneva to discuss reaching a solution. A round of peace talks was attempted in June, but did not resolve with a conclusion to the ongoing war.
