Yemen’s Warring Sides Agree To Extend Truce for 2 Months

Yemen’s warring sides have agreed to extend the current nationwide truce for another two months, the United Nations announced on Thursday afternoon. It extends the current nationwide truce that began on April 2 and was set to expire on Thursday evening. “I would like to announce that the parties to the conflict have agreed to the United Nations’ proposal to renew the current truce in Yemen for two additional months,” UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg said Thursday. The number of civilians killed and injured in Yemen dropped by more than 50% in the first month of the truce, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. The truce also has allowed some of the displaced people return to their homes. Under the truce, some commercial flights have left from the Sanaa airport and has allowed some oil tankers to dock in the Houthi-held port of Hodeida. “The announcement of the truce extension today shows a serious commitment from all parties to end the senseless suffering of millions of Yemenis. The last two months have shown that peaceful solutions to the conflict are a real option. We hope this extension of the truce will allow for further progress on the reopening of roads linking cities and regions, allow more displaced people to return to their homes, and ensure humanitarian aid can reach people who have been out of reach because of the fighting,” the council’s Yemen Country Director Erin Hutchinson said in a statement.