The UN envoy for Yemen expressed concerns on Wednesday about violations of a cease-fire in the war-wrecked country, urging the warring sides to uphold the first nationwide truce in six years.
Hans Grundberg said that while the truce has led to “significant reduction of violence” in Yemen, there were reports of “some hostile military activities,” particularly around the central city of Marib.
He did not say which side was to blame for the violations but Yemen’s internationally recognized government has accused the Iran-backed Houthi militia of attacking their positions in southern and western Marib. A Houthi spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
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“This truce is a step, an important one, but a fragile step, nonetheless,” he said. “We need to make the best possible use of the window this truce gives us to work towards ending the conflict.”
The Houthis have been trying for over a year to capture energy-rich Marib from government forces. But their efforts were dashed in recent months.
Grundberg told a virtual news conference that the UN was working on a coordination mechanism with the warring sides to maintain the truce, which was announced earlier this month. It is supposed to last for two months.
Grundberg cautioned that the cease-fire is not being monitored by the UN and that the “responsibility to uphold the truce is squarely with the parties themselves.”
The UN-announced truce also includes allowing shipments of fuel to arrive in Yemen’s key port city of Hodeida and for passenger flights to resume from the airport in Sanaa. Both Hodeida and Sanaa are held by the Houthis.
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