Saudi Arabia made the proposal on Monday, but the Houthi rebels immediately rejected it.
Thanks, but no thanks. Saudi Arabia on Monday March 22 proposed a “comprehensive” ceasefire to end the devastating conflict in Yemen, which has pitted Iranian-backed Houthi rebels against government forces for more than six years , supported by a coalition led by Riyadh. The latter quickly rejected this new ceasefire offer.
The kingdom, which has intervened militarily in Yemen since 2015, has made several proposals including “a comprehensive ceasefire throughout the country under United Nations supervision,” the Saudi government said in a statement. Riyadh also proposed to reopen the airport in Sana’a, the Yemeni capital held by the rebels, and to relaunch political negotiations between the Yemeni government and the Houthis, it is added in the text.
“We want the guns to be silent”
The rebels had recently made the opening of all air and sea space in Yemen, under Saudi control, a prerequisite for any dialogue process. “We want the guns to be completely silent,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Ben Farhane told reporters at a conference in Riyadh.
In April 2020, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels announced a temporary ceasefire in Yemen to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but the Houthi rebels had already rejected the initiative, calling it a political maneuver. .
“Saudi Arabia must announce the end of the aggression and completely lift the blockade (on Yemen) because putting forward ideas that have been discussed for more than a year is nothing new,” a door said this time. – speech of the rebels, Mohammed Abdelsalam, according to the chain of Houthis Al-Massirah.