The Security Council calls for seizing the armistice in Yemen

On Monday, the UN Security Council called on all parties involved in the conflict in Yemen to “seize the opportunity of the truce and work with the UN Special Envoy to make progress towards a comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive political settlement.”

This came in a statement issued by the council unanimously, and on Friday, the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced that the parties to the conflict had agreed to a two-month truce that could be extended.

In its statement, the Security Council welcomed the “declaration of the armistice,” and stressed the opportunity that such a truce afforded “to alleviate the human suffering of Yemenis and improve regional stability.”

The council’s statement called on “all parties to seize the opportunity provided by the armistice and work with the United Nations Special Envoy to make progress towards a comprehensive ceasefire and an inclusive political settlement.”

Council members expressed “full support for the political consultations of the United Nations Special Envoy, and emphasized the urgency of a comprehensive Yemeni-led and owned process under the auspices of the United Nations.”

Council members also expressed “deep concern about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and stressed the urgent need to fund the humanitarian response.”

It is noteworthy that a UN report warned last month of a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen during the period from next June to December.

The report, issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund “UNICEF”, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO”, confirmed.

That “17.4 million Yemenis (the total population is about 30 million) are now in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, including 2.2 million children suffering from acute malnutrition.”

The report stated that “it is possible that the number of Yemenis who may not be able to meet their minimum food needs will reach a record number of 19 million people during the period from next June to December.”

For more than 7 years, Yemen has been witnessing an ongoing war between forces loyal to the government backed by an Arab military alliance.

It is led by neighboring Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis, who have controlled several governorates, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 2014.