UN urges parties in Yemen to ‘heed calls for truce extension’

ADEN, Yemen (AA) – The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen has urged the country’s warring parties “to commit to extending and expanding the truce.”

“I strongly urge the parties to the conflict to heed calls by the UN Secretary-General and his Special Envoy for Yemen for truce extension and expansion to build on the gains achieved over the last six months,” David Gressly said in a statement.

“The truce, which first came into effect on 2 April 2022, improved humanitarian access to people in need living in previously hard-to-reach areas, enhanced people’s access to services and encouraged the return of internally displaced people to their original communities in areas near the frontlines,” he said.

Noting that the truce has also improved the flow of fuel into Yemen’s Red Sea ports and led to the opening of Sana’a airport to commercial flights, he said some 26,642 people have been able to travel on commercial flights from the capital Sana’a, many of whom were critically ill and seeking medical treatment abroad.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sana’a.