Yemen: Fragile truce ‘may end at any moment’ as Saudi aggression, siege rage

A senior adviser to the Yemeni Information Ministry says a de facto ceasefire between the country’s fighters and the invading Saudi-led coalition “may end at any moment” due to the continuation of the aggression and siege against the impoverished nation.

“As long as the aggression and blockade continue against Yemen, the ceasefire in this country may end at any moment,” he added.

“Some people claim that the resolution of rifts between Saudi Arabia and Iran means the end of the war on Yemen… This perception is wrong… [as] the war situation in Yemen still persists and that the ceasefire may end at any moment.”

Tofiq al-Hamiri told Sputnik that the recent restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran should not be falsely tied to the Yemeni case.

On Friday, following days of intensive talks in Beijing, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties and reopen embassies seven years after their relations were severed.

Analysts believe that the rapprochement between the two Middle Eastern powers could transform the region. Some experts have described the détente as a panacea for the Yemen war.

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume relations, re-open embassies

Iran and Saudi Arabia agree in the Chinese capital of Beijing to restore their diplomatic relations seven years after they were severed over several issues.

However, Hamiri emphasized that the war on Yemen will not stop except by ending the aggression and siege, along with the withdrawal of occupying forces and the country’s reconstruction.

“Yemen has been subjected to aggression, siege and occupation by the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We entered this war to defend our country,” he said.

“We warn the coalition of aggressors that ignoring the requests of Yemen’s revolutionary leaders may make people run out of patience, and the result will be disastrous for the occupiers.”

Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the US and other Western states, launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015.

The objective was to crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen and reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

While the Saudi-led coalition has failed to achieve any of its objectives, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

A UN-mediated ceasefire between Ansarullah and the self-proclaimed Yemeni regime, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, broke down last October six months after it went into effect. Nevertheless, tensions have eased and casualties have decreased as important elements of the truce still remain in place.

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