UN Envoy for Yemen Arrives in Sana’a

The United Nation Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, arrived in the capital, Sana’a, on Monday from Muscat, Al Masirah Network correspondent reported.

The UN envoy is scheduled to meet with President Mahdi Al-Mashat, and officials to discuss the consolidation of the humanitarian truce, the opening of Sana’a airport, and the removal of obstacles to the movement of ships.

Last week, Grundberg announced the nationwide ceasefire, for the first time since 2016, saying the two-month truce would be eligible for renewal with the consent of parties.

The truce, meant to halt all military operations in the country and bring the foreign military invasion to an end, came into effect at 07:00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on April 2.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the truce “must be a first step to ending Yemen’s devastating war,” urging the warring parties to build on the opportunity to “resume an inclusive and comprehensive Yemeni political process.”

The deal stipulates halting offensive military operations, including cross-border attacks, and allowing fuel-laden ships to enter Yemen’s lifeline al-Hudaydah port and commercial flights in and out of the airport in the capital Sana’a “to predetermined destinations in the region.”

A week has passed for the entry into effect of the humanitarian and military truce brokered by the UN, but without significant progress.

The airport is still deserted and has not received any flights, in light of the obstacles created by the coalition of aggression. The past week was supposed to witness at least two commercial flights to and from Sana’a International Airport.

Well-informed sources in Sana’a say that there are complications by the aggression side, in light of its insistence on taking over the issuance of passports and visas.

The matter also applies to the port of Hodeidah. While the countries of aggression were supposed to facilitate the smooth flow of ships to the port, under the truce, the inspecting ships are still subject to inspection, and are detained off the coast of Jizan despite obtaining UN permits and licenses.

On the ground, the fires of the aggression side did not subside along the fronts, on the borders and inside. Shelling, reconnaissance, development and crawl, including a failed advance carried out by mercenaries towards Army and Popular Committee sites south of Marib.

All indicators do not serve the steadfastness of the humanitarian and military truce, and provide evidence that Sana’a continues to exercise restraint, in the face of heterogeneous parties that do not abide or respect their commitments to a truce sponsored by the UN.