Yemen's five-day ceasefire backed
Yemen’s Shiite rebels and their allies in the country’s armed forces have said they would accept a five-day humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid to reach civilians after more than a month of daily Saudi-led airstrikes.
The ceasefire, scheduled to begin Tuesday, would help ease the suffering of civilians who increasingly lack food, fuel and medicine since the bombing campaign began on March 26.
However, all sides in a conflict that has seen the exile of president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi have warned they will retaliate if the ceasefire is broken.
Col Sharaf Ghalib Luqman was quoted as saying rebels in the armed forces agreed with the ceasefire, warning against any violation of the truce. The Houthis earlier issued their own statement saying they will cooperate with the ceasefire.
On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition’s spokesman, Ahmed Ali Asiri, also warned that the ceasefire will be cancelled if the rebels violated it.
Meanwhile, Saudi-led strikes have continued in Yemen, with a residence of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in the capital, Sanaa, reportedly hit.
The conflict in Yemen has killed more than 1,400 people since March 19, according to the United Nations.
