The United Nations envoy to Yemen on Monday scrambled to revive a six-month ceasefire after a missed deadline sparked fears of a return to war and sparked rebel threats against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Special envoy Hans Grundberg pledged “relentless efforts” to revive the ceasefire, which lapsed on Sunday after leading to a sharp reduction in clashes since it came into effect in April.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been fighting a Saudi-led pro-government coalition since 2015 in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands and resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.
The Houthis rejected Grundberg’s plan to extend the ceasefire, which was initially intended for two months and extended twice, to half a year and to expand it to new areas of the agreement.
His proposal included paying civil servants’ salaries, opening routes into the rebel-held city of Taez, expanding commercial flights out of the rebel-held capital Sanaa, and allowing more fuel ships into the port of Hodeida, also controlled by the Houthis .
It also included commitments to releasing prisoners, resuming an “inclusive” political process, and resolving economic problems, including public services.
But the northern-based Houthis, who conquered Sanaa in 2014 and controls large parts of the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, said the proposal “does not meet the demands of the Yemeni people and does not establish a peace process”.
“The Yemeni people will not be fooled by false promises,” the Supreme Political Council said, calling for Houthis’ revenues from Yemen’s oil and gas resources, according to Yemen’s news agency.
Elisabeth Kendall, Middle East expert at Cambridge University, said there was still hope for a deal.
“There may still be a chance that the ceasefire will be revived. It may just be that the warring actors are fighting for their position by letting the deadline pass,” she told AFP.
“But I think the best we can hope for at this stage is another transitional measure rather than the extended six-month ceasefire that the UN is seeking.”
– Sporadic clashes –
Aid agencies have sounded the alarm for Yemen’s suffering population, including 23.4 million Yemenis in need of humanitarian assistance.
“Over the past six months, the ceasefire has given millions of people in Yemen some respite from the fighting and hope for a more lasting settlement to the conflict,” said Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“We call on all parties to keep the dialogue open and to put the needs of the Yemeni people first.”
In addition to fighting on the ground, hostilities have been marked by coalition bombing and rebel drone and missile attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a key partner of the anti-Houthi alliance.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree warned oil companies in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to “organize their situation and leave.”
There was no immediate message from Riyadh or Abu Dhabi, but Yemen’s internationally recognized government, via a tweet from its embassy in Washington, called on the UN Security Council to “stand firm” with the Houthis over their “recent threats” and their refusal to end the ceasefire to extend, to deal with .
Grundberg, who shuttled between Sanaa and Oman and acted as moderator, said he would “continue relentless efforts to work with the parties to quickly reach an agreement on the way forward.”
“Ultimately, Yemenis need an end to the conflict through an inclusive political process and a negotiated settlement,” he added.
The United States on Monday expressed its “deep concern” over the lapsed ceasefire, saying the UN-brokered deal represents “the best opportunity Yemenis have had for peace in years.”
“The choice before the parties is simple: peace and a brighter future for Yemen, or a return to senseless destruction and suffering that will further fracture and isolate a country already on the brink,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price, in a statement.
As Yemen’s fate remained unclear, government sources reported Houthi attacks south of Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold and key to Yemen’s oil resources.
Houthi shelling was also reported in Taez, Yemen’s third-largest city, which has been blocked by the rebels since 2016. Clashes also erupted sporadically during the ceasefire.
