UN, US Request For Aid to Pour In Yemen as Houthi Support Truce

The Houti-controlled administration of Yemen accepted a 72-hour ceasefire beginning on Wednesday. The break in fighting is aimed to allow help to reach areas isolated by months of conflict. These places seriously require humanitarian aid.

A governing council comprised of the Iranian-aligned Houthi group and influential local allies insisted a Saudi-backed Arab coalition halt military attacks. They should also revoke restrictions on air, sea and land transport. It was the council’s first statement on the truce.

A cessation of hostilities between the warring factions will start at 2359 local time (2059 GMT) on Wednesday, the United Nations said on Monday. The truce raises hopes of an end to a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and left people starving.

The council made know its “positive engagement” with the ceasefire plan. It added that Yemen needed an immediate, comprehensive, and lasting truce without preconditions. This includes what it called an end to the blockade of the Yemeni people.

During the ceasefire, aid agencies may attempt to get to families trapped in villages and towns. The areas where fighting and coalition-enforced travel restrictions left residents short of food and in critical need of medical supplies.

“Hopefully, this nationwide cessation will provide humanitarian agencies and organizations the opportunity to respond in areas that have been cut off or hard to reach in all of Yemen,” UN’s Yemen Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said.

All combatants to cease hostilities and military movement

US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Washington that the ceasefire necessitates all parties to stop military activities. They should also help expedite the distribution of humanitarian assistance.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have implemented air strikes and positioned troops in Yemen in backing the exiled government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. The Houthi’s toppled Hadi’s administration in 2015.

The 19-month long war has worsened Yemen’s already critical humanitarian needs by raising levels of malnutrition and enlistment of child soldiers. Furthermore, the fighting inflicted damage on schools and infrastructure.

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