Agency: Saudi Arabia will resume talks with the Houthis in light of the failure of the truce
English - Wednesday 15 April 2020 الساعة 08:58 am
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"Saudi Arabia has resumed indirect talks with the Houthi group ... to reinforce a faltering ceasefire as the United Nations seeks to stop the escalation in preparation for the response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus," informed sources reported to Reuters on Tuesday evening.
It stated that "the Houthis allied with Iran have not yet agreed to a truce at the level of Yemen, which was caused by the Corona epidemic a few days ago by the Saudi-led coalition, and the violence continued on a number of fronts."
The ceasefire was supposed to take effect on Thursday, one day before Yemen recorded the first infection with the virus.
Two sources close to the talks told Reuters that Saudi and Houthi officials continued, at the weekend, as Riyadh sought to reach an understanding on a binding truce.
"Saudi Arabia is very serious about ending the war, but it will depend on how far it can go to satisfy the Houthis and build some confidence," one of the sources said.
These efforts were renewed after the coalition launched air strikes on Houthi-controlled cities and villages, despite the ceasefire, to halt the Houthis' progress in Al-Jawf in northern Yemen and towards the city of Marib, the last stronghold of the Saudi-backed government in central Yemen, local officials said.
