Saudi Arabia announces a cease-fire in Yemen as aid agencies brace for the spread of the coronavirus
Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that it would temporarily halt its military operations in Yemen, a gesture Saudi officials said was aimed at jump-starting dialogue between Yemen's warring parties and staving off the spread of the coronavirus during one of the world's bloodiest civil conflicts. The kingdom has been mired in Yemen's war for more than five years after intervening to defeat an Iranian-allied rebel group known as the Houthis.
But as the rebels have been able to retain control of Yemen's capital and other parts of the country, the Saudis have intensified their efforts to extricate themselves from a conflict that has spawned one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The cease-fire was set to begin Thursday at noon and could be extended, according to a statement carried by the official Saudi press agency.
It followed calls by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres last month for an "immediate global cease-fire" in conflict zones that are especially vulnerable during the pandemic. Pope Francis made a similar appeal. Saudi Arabia and Yemen's rebels were making rare progress in peace talks. Then new violence flared. Aid workers say the spread of the virus would devastate Yemen, a deeply impoverished country with a health system badly crippled by the war.
