Houthis Vow to Respect Yemen Truce
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Yemen's Houthis sent the United Nations a letter committing to "cease land, sea and air military operations" throughout Yemen, according to a communique carried by the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
The chief of staff of forces loyal to fugitive former President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi confirmed late on Monday "the ceasefire has taken effect".
Mohamed Ali al-Makdashi told reporters that "we are going to respect it... unless the Houthis violate it," AFP reported.
It is hoped that the ceasefire will serve as the cornerstone of a long-lasting peace deal to be negotiated between Yemeni warring parties on 18 April in Kuwait.
A Saudi-led coalition has for more than a year been supporting the Hadi forces against the Houthis who seized much of Yemen including the capital Sana'a.
The Houthis say their rise to power is a revolution against corrupt officials beholden to Saudi Arabia and the West.
More than 6,300 people have been killed in the year-long fighting, with about half of the victims being civilians, while 30,000 have been wounded, according to the United Nations.
The United Nations has designated Yemen as one of its highest-level humanitarian crises, alongside emergencies in South Sudan, Syria and Iraq. It says more than 21 million people in Yemen need help, or about 80 percent of the population.