UK gives £2.5m boost to preserve Yemen ceasefire

The cash will be used to support the UN in monitoring the ceasefire

epa07309276 British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt leaves after a cabinet meeting in central London, Britain, 22 January 2019. British Prime Minister Theresa May continues to seek consensus amongst her cabinet for an alternative Brexit plan after Members of Parliament voted against the European Union Withdrawal Bill last week.  EPA/WILL OLIVER
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The UN will receive £2.5m in extra funding from the UK for its Yemen peace efforts, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The money will fund the UN’s civilian coordinator’s office to support the implementation of the December’s Stockholm Agreement on the ground in Hodeidah. The agreement initially sanctioned a 30-day mandate for the UN to oversee a ceasefire between government forces and Houthi rebels, but the cessation of violence has begun to crumble, with violations of the agreement reported in the area. However, the level of fighting has significantly fallen since December.

The UN attempted to salvage the agreement last week by passing a fresh, British-drafted resolution which extended the UN’s monitoring role for six months and added up to 75 monitors.

“Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” Mr Hunt said on Tuesday.

“The Stockholm Agreements are our best chance of securing long term peace in Yemen. The UK is therefore determined to support the implementation of these agreements.”

The British cash will come from the government’s Conflict, Security and Stability Fund, which currently funds projects in over 70 countries.

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“Last week’s Security Council vote and today’s announcement of an additional £2.5 million UK funding are an instrumental part of that process, and we will continue to bolster the UN Special Envoy’s work where possible over the coming months.”

The foreign secretary also urged the government of Yemen and the Houthis to work closely with the UN and act in the interest of all Yemenis to help resolve the crisis.