Arab League Welcomes Ceasefire in Yemen to Counter COVID-19

On Thursday, the Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed the two-week ceasefire in Yemen announced by the Saudi-led coalition.

Aboul-Gheit urged the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to respond to the Saudi initiative that constitutes "a rare opportunity for stopping the bloodshed in the war-torn country."

He stressed that the Yemeni people is the first winner of that important initiative that mirrored feeling of responsibility and realization to the dangers that face all sides now

"Facing the coronavirus pandemic necessitates collaboration and solidarity," he added.

It is noteworthy that the Arab Coalition in Yemen announced late Wednesday a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen, for a period of two weeks, with an ability for extension, from Thursday.

The joint coalition forces command explained that the goal of the ceasefire is to create conditions for the implementation of the invitation of the United Nations envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, to hold a meeting between the legitimate government and the Houthi militias. 

The spokesperson for the coalition forces, Colonel Turki al-Maliki, said that the opportunity is created to join all efforts to reach a comprehensive and lasting cease-fire in Yemen, and to agree on serious, concrete and direct steps to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

Earlier, the Yemeni government welcomed the United Nations Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire and confront the consequences of the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The legitimate government noted in a statement that “the political, economic and health situation in Yemen require stopping all forms of escalation, and standing within the global and humanitarian effort to preserve the lives of citizens and deal in full responsibility with this epidemic.”

The government statement confirmed that it would deal positively with its efforts to restore the state and stop the Yemeni bloodshed, and expressed its readiness to engage in order to work seriously to confront the risks of this epidemic and prevent it from spreading within Yemeni territories. 

On March 30, the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced the start of a qualitative military operation to destroy military targets of the Houthi terrorist militia.

The Arab Alliance emphasized that the military operation aimed to neutralize and destroy the ballistic threat and the specific capabilities that threaten the lives of civilians.

The Coalition said that it continues to take firm and strict measures against intentional militia violations by targeting civilians, noting that it has taken preventive measures to protect civilians from any collateral damage.