Arab News

• Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said the ceasefire may be extended after two weeks
• Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister of defense urges Houthis to also support the ceasefire call

RIYADH: The Arab coalition fighting to restore the legitimate Yemeni government has announced a two-week ceasefire in Yemen which will start at midday on Thursday, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki said the coalition “supported the Yemeni government’s decision to accept the call of the United Nation's secretary-general for a ceasefire in Yemen to face the consequences of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Mohamed AlJabir, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen, said the ceasefire is meant to pave the way for representatives of the Yemeni government, Houthis and a Coalition military team to discuss the UN envoy's proposals for a permanent ceasefire in Yemen and confidence-building measures.

UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths welcomed the coalition's unilateral ceasefire announcement, saying, “We need to take practical steps to build confidence between the two parties in a humanitarian and economic aspect," Griffiths said.

“I am grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Coalition for recognizing and acting on this critical moment for Yemen. The parties must now utilize this opportunity and cease immediately all hostilities with the utmost urgency, and make progress towards comprehensive and sustainable peace,” he said in a statement issued by his office in Amman, Jordan.

Al-Maliki said that due to the seriousness and desire of the coalition to "create appropriate conditions to conclude and succeed the efforts of the UN envoy to Yemen and to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people and work to confront the coronavirus pandemic and prevent it from spreading," the coalition announced a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen for a period of two weeks, starting from 12 p.m. on Thursday.