Clashes undermine Yemen’s fragile ceasefire

The ceasefire for an initial period of three days, took effect at one minute to midnight on Wednesday under a United Nations plan. But only one side appeared to silence their guns.

A homeless family eats lunch along a street in rebel-held Sanaa on October 20, 2016. War-weary residents in the capital said the temporary truce gave them little hope. Mohamed Al Sayaghi/Reuters

ADEN // Scattered clashes between rebels and pro-government forces undermined a fragile ceasefire in Yemen on Thursday as global pressure intensified for a lasting truce in a country where millions are homeless and hungry.

The ceasefire for an initial period of three days, took effect at one minute to midnight on Wednesday under a United Nations plan which aims to allow sorely needed aid to reach suffering civilians.

But only one side appeared to silence their guns.

Missiles fired from Yemen across the border into the southern Saudi Arabian province of Jazan wounded a number of civilians, the Saudi-owned TV news channel Al Arabiya reported on Thursday, quoting the Saudi civil defence unit.

It was not immediately clear when the attack happened, but Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Thursday it had launched attacks on military targets in Saudi Arabia over the last two days.

“The violations happened along on the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and specifically in the regions of Najran and Jazan,” said a civil defence official. “A variety of weapons were fired, including rockets and projectiles.”

Saudi-led coalition spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri told Al Ekhbariya state television that there had been “a certain number of violations” of the ceasefire.

If they continue, he said, the coalition “will take appropriate measures.”

Fierce fighting was also reported in Taez, a frequent flashpoint in the war between forces loyal to the internationally-recognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Taez resident Rafat Yaseen, 30, told The National that fighting was still going on along both the eastern and western fronts of the city.

“This is the sixth ceasefire since the war started and all of them were broken so people in Taez do not believe any promises about a ceasefire,” he said. “The only change, we feel, is that the air strikes from the coalition have stopped targeting the Houthis in the area surrounding Taez.”

Malik Al Samei, a leader of the popular resistance in Taez, said Houthis had fired shells on his fighters on the eastern flanks of the city and on Saber Mountain. There were no casualties.

“So far, we have not responded to the ceasefire violations but if we think the Houthis are taking advantage and trying to advance and take territory, then we will confront them,” he said. “The international community should be here in Taez monitoring this ceasefire. If the Hothis abided by the ceasefire here, they would in every other province.”

There were also reports of more minor ceasefire violations in Hajja and Marib provinces but it was not possible to confirm them.

Pro-Hadi forces said they recorded nine violations by the rebel Houthis and their allies after midnight in Nahm, north-east of the capital, Sanaa.

Three pro-government fighters were killed near the Red Sea in Hajja province when rebels began a counter-offensive after midnight to retake positions lost before the truce, said Colonel Abdel Ghani Al Chebli, a loyalist officer.

“The rebels didn’t respect earlier truces and we have orders to retaliate. We are in a defensive position,” he said. “The ceasefire must be respected by all sides and its duration extended so as to create the necessary conditions for such negotiations.”

The coalition, which includes UAE forces, has said it will abide by the truce to allow as many people as possible to get desperately-needed humanitarian and medical assistance, especially in Taez, Yemen’s third-largest city. The coalition also said it will continue an air and maritime embargo, to prevent shipments of weapons to the rebels, and will maintain airborne reconnaissance.

Military spokesman for the rebels General Sharaf Lokman said his forces will respect the ceasefire as long as “the enemy” also abides by it.

However, he urged his fighters to be ready to retaliate against “all aggression”.

A spokesman for pro-government forces also declared “respect for the truce” but reserved the right to respond to violations.

Iranian, American and other western officials said on Thursday that Iran has stepped up weapons transfers, including missiles and small arms, to the Houthis. The US also believes Iran may have played a role in the missile-firing by Houthis on a US navy warship, causing the US to retaliate for the first time.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini late on Wednesday said the truce should be a first step towards resuming UN-led peace talks, which ended in August after three months with no breakthrough. Afterwards, fighting escalated until a coalition air raid wrongly targeted a large funeral gathering in Sanaa. The coalition admitted its mistake and the US announced an “immediate review” of its intelligence and refuelling assistance to the coalition.

The UN and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) on Thursday urged all parties in Yemen to comply with the ceasefire. During a meeting, Secretary-General of the GCC Dr Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed stated that the truce would enable a resumption of peace talks and help deliver humanitarian assistance to all Yemeni governorates.

For the war-weary population of Yemen, however, it was all just more talk.

“We want a lasting ceasefire,” said Sadok Abdullah, 28, who lives in rebel-held Sanaa.

“They’re mocking us with a three-day truce,” said Ali Al-Doush, a 32-year-old civil servant who has not been paid for three months. “We want an end to the war.”

* With additional reporting from Agence France-Presse