Tuesday, 15 December 2015

Yemen conflict: Ceasefire 'begins' ahead of peace talks

BBC News
A seven-day ceasefire was due to come into force in Yemen, to coincide with UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland.
The truce was set for noon (09:00 GMT), but the Saudi-led coalition backing the government said it reserved the right to respond to any breach.
The coalition has been fighting the Houthi rebel movement and its allies since President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was forced into exile in March.
At least 5,700 people have been killed so far, almost half of them civilians.
The ceasefire was originally scheduled to start at midnight (21:00 GMT) on Monday. The official Saudi news agency later announced a postponement, without giving reasons.
Map of Yemen showing presence of rebel, government and al-Qaeda forces
Delegates from the Yemeni government are due to attend the UN-backed negotiations, along with representatives of the Shia Houthi rebel group.
The ceasefire comes as a Saudi military commander and an Emirati officer were reported to have been killed along with a number of Gulf, Yemeni and Sudanese soldiers on Monday.
They appear to have been killed by a missile fired by Houthi rebels in Taiz province.
Soldiers loyal to Yemen's government jump off a pick-up truck during an exercise in the city of Taiz (13 December 2015)Image copyrightReuters
Image captionSaudi-led coalition and Yemen government forces have been battling the rebels for control of Taiz for months
If confirmed, the attack would be the deadliest on the coalition since 45 Emirati troops were killed when a missile hit a base in Marib province, east of the capital, Sanaa, in September.
The Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign in March after the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced on the second city, Aden.
The already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen has also deteriorated severely, with more than 21 million people - four-fifths of the population - now requiring aid.
Since March, coalition and pro-government forces have retaken Aden and the city of Marib, but have failed to drive the rebels out of the third city of Taiz.

Why is there fighting in Yemen?

  • Northern Shia Muslim rebels known as Houthis, backed by forces loyal to Yemen's ex-president, took over parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and forced the government into exile in March
  • The rebels accused the government of corruption and of planning to marginalise their heartland within a proposed federal system
  • Forces loyal to the government and Southern militias, aided by Saudi-led coalition air strikes and troops, have since regained control of five southern provinces
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