Saudi Arabia Declares 48-Hour Ceasefire In Yemen
MEP: Saudi Arabia on Saturday has declared a 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen to begin at noon Saturday, it said in a statement on the kingdom’s SPA news agency website.
The announcement came after a request for a ceasefire by Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, himself based in Riyadh, to Saudi King Salman, the statement added.
The truce will be extended if Yemen’s Houthi movement shows commitment to it and if the group allows “humanitarian aid” into areas under siege, according to the statement.
There was no immediate reaction to the announcement by the Houthi Ansarullah movement which is fighting the Saudis and its allies in Yemen.
More than 10,000 people have lost their lives and 15,000 others wounded since the beginging of the Kingdom’s aggression in the war-torn country in 20 months.
US secretary of state John Kerry had announced a ceasefire that was to have taken effect on Thursday, but there was intense fighting Friday, eliminating hopes of warring parties abiding by the truce.
