Saudi-led Coalition Announces 48-Hour Ceasefire in Yemen

According to the official Saudi Arabian news agency, the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced a 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen early Saturday morning. The coalition stated that if the Houthi militants adhere to the ceasefire, it will be extended. According to Reuters, this ceasefire will begin at noon on Saturday. The statement from the Saudi-led coalition indicated that this ceasefire was declared at the request of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen. Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014. The Shia Houthi militants, who are said to be supported by Iran, currently control the capital Sanaa along with supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former President of Yemen. Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen, is currently in Aden, and his supporters, with the backing of the Saudi-led Arab coalition, are fighting against the Houthi militants. The Saudi-led coalition began its attacks on Houthi positions in March 2015 in support of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The United Nations reports that over seven thousand people have been killed and thirty-seven thousand injured in the Yemeni civil war. According to AFP, there have been seven ceasefires declared in Yemen so far, but these ceasefires have only been briefly sustainable and have been violated by the conflicting parties. Earlier, Stephen O'Brien, the UN humanitarian chief, warned on November 2 of this year that if the conflicting parties in the Yemen war do not soon reach a political solution, the country will completely collapse, which would have dire consequences for the region. O'Brien added that 80% of Yemen's 21 million population needs humanitarian assistance, and two million people, including 370,000 children, are suffering from severe malnutrition. The UN states that the brutal and horrific humanitarian situation in Yemen, which is man-made, has now turned into a catastrophe. The UN Deputy Secretary-General previously stated that it is now time for the warring parties in Yemen to reach a peaceful agreement for the sake of the people of this country to preserve what remains of its infrastructure. In this context, Ismail Sheikh Ahmed, the UN envoy for Syria, also stated that after 18 months of horrific war that has left thousands dead and wounded and caused unspeakable damage to the people of Yemen, we must ask how long the people of Yemen must remain hostages to political groups indifferent to human lives.