Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Fragile five-day ceasefire begins in Yemen

A five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen has begun, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition told Al Arabiya News’ sister channel Al Haddath on Wednesaday, but he warned that the Houthi bombardment of the border area gave “no confidence” that the militias would keep the truce.

As the ceasefire entered its third hour there were reports that it was already breaking, with Houthis militias firing at positions of national resistance forces in Ma’rib, sources told Al Arabiya News Channel

The ceasefire came into effect at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, with Houthi militias carrying out bombardments of the border area of Jizan province up to the last minute.
Asiri said the coalition forces were committed to the ceasefire, which he said started “absolutely” at 11 p.m. local time.
But he said the coalition would continue its "intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance" in case it had to respond.

“We will be ready to react to any violation of the pause,” he told AFP. “We are very clear. If they do not respect... we will continue.”

Asiri said the Saudi forces were “ready to respond to any aggression or attack” and he added that the coalition “would respond” if Houthi militias continued to maneuver.

The bombardment of the border area by Houthi militias had continued until the ceasefire came into force, casting doubt over whether it would hold, Asiri added.

  • A maritime exclusion zone, enforced by the Arab-dominated coalition, remains in effect around Yemen. Assiri said an Iranian ship purportedly carrying aid to Yemen should deliver it to the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti.

Asiri said: “They can give it to the United Nations there.”

The Pentagon earlier said it was tracking the ship after Tehran reportedly said it would send warships to escort it to Yemen.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren warned Iran against a “stunt” that could threaten the ceasefire.
  (alarabiya.net With Reuters and AFP)

13/5/15
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5 comments :

  1. UN says humanitarian aid to Yemen should be routed via its channels...

    Humanitarian assistance sent to Yemen via the UN channels will ensure that this activity will not be politicized and will be carried out "in an impartial and neutral way," Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos has said.

    Amos welcomed the beginning of the five-day humanitarian pause in the country that she said "should enable humanitarian agencies and their partners to step up the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance to people in desperate need."

    "Given the role of the United Nations in coordinating emergency relief activities in an impartial and neutral way, I request that humanitarian assistance to Yemen be routed through existing UN and international humanitarian organization channels. It is essential that humanitarian assistance is not politicized," she said.

    She called on all the parties to the conflict to respect the "vital pause" in hostilities.

    "This pause will provide a respite for civilians and allow the delivery of food, medical supplies and other essential items to people who have been trapped in conflict zones," Amos said.

    On Tuesday, a pause began in the fighting between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces, which has killed hundreds of civilians and wounded more than 1,400 others since late March.

    The five-day ceasefire was proposed by Saudi Arabia, which has been conducting airstrikes to assist the ousted Yemeni government, which is still internationally recognised.
    http://tass.ru/en/world/794384
    13/5/15

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yemen: Tribal Fighters Shell Saudi Sites...

    Yemeni tribal forces shelled several Saudi sites near the border with Yemen, as the US-Saudi coalition committed new massacres against innocent civilians across the Arab impoverished state, ahead of a five-day truce.

    Security sources said that the tribal forces launched rockets on the Saudi areas near the border with Yemen, targeting Jabal al-Dood military site which overlooks al-Malaheez city in Yemen’s Saada province....... Al Manar TV
    13/5/15

    ReplyDelete
  3. Iran says Saudi-led forces cannot inspect Yemen-bound ship...

    Iran will not allow Saudi-led naval forces to inspect a cargo ship bound for Yemen under military escort, foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said, in a challenge to the kingdom's control of Yemeni waters.

    A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has imposed inspections on all ships entering Yemen in an attempt to prevent weapons being smuggled to the rebel Houthi group that controls much of the country.

    "Permission to inspect the ship carrying humanitarian aid from Iran will not be given to countries participating in the Yemen conflict," Afkham was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency on Wednesday.

    Iran on Tuesday said warships would escort the Iran Shahed cargo ship, which it says is carrying humanitarian supplies, to the rebel-held port of Hodaida in western Yemen as a cease-fire between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis went into effect.

    The United States criticized the move and urged Iran to redirect the ship to Djibouti, from where the United Nations is coordinating aid distribution.

    Saudi Arabia has accused Tehran of arming the Houthis, charges the Islamic Republic denies.
    (Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by Toby Chopra)
    Reuters

    ReplyDelete
  4. Houthis violated Yemen truce: Saudi-led coalition...

    Iran-backed Houthi rebels have broken a day-old truce in Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition which had been bombing the rebels said on Thursday, vowing to stick to the pause.

    “The Houthi militias have violated the truce”, the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

    The statement alleged 12 contraventions of the ceasefire, which began at 2000 GMT on Tuesday, along the Saudi-Yemen border and in Yemen itself.

    But it said the coalition “confirms its full commitment to the humanitarian truce and restraint”.........AFP............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/14/Houthis-have-violated-Yemen-truce-Saudi-led-coalition.html
    14/5/15

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yemen baraja romper relaciones diplomáticas con Irán, declaró el ministro yemení de Asuntos Exteriores, Riyad Yassin...

    "La inflexibilidad de Irán en la situación con el barco (que Irán envió a Yemen sin autorización) demuestra que este país no desea estabilidad para Yemen", señaló Yassin, citado por Al Jazeera.

    El ministro responsabilizó anticipadamente a Irán de todos posibles incidentes con el barco en caso de que entre en un puerto de Yemen sin autorización de las autoridades yemeníes.

    El pasado lunes, Irán envió a Yemen el barco 'Iran Shahed' cargado de ayuda humanitaria.

    El 'Iran Shahed' está escoltado por un buque de guerra, pero zarpó sin avisar a las autoridades yemeníes ni al mando de la coalición árabe liderada por Arabia Saudí.....sputniknews.com
    14/5/15

    ReplyDelete

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