As Yemeni Ceasefire Holds, Lasting Peace Remains Elusive

The Houthis have been fighting against the government for four years. (Wikimedia Commons)

As the war in Yemen enters its fourth year, attempts at resolving the conflict have been stalling in recent weeks. However, at the same time, aid has started to trickle back into the country through the port of Hodeidah as a result of the recent truce, with previous efforts having been stymied by bouts of fighting.

Representatives of the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels agreed to meet in Hodeidah, as agreed upon in a UN truce deal reached on December 13. However, both sides refused to negotiate face-to-face. Furthermore, each has accused the other of violating the ceasefire, which shakily remains in place. On January 17, the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to send 75 observers to Hodeidah to monitor the truce agreement and ceasefire to maintain the peace.

In a sign of the further deteriorating security situation and the risks that UN members are facing, a convoy carrying Patrick Cammaert, who leads the UN team supervising the peace deal in Hodeidah, was attacked on January 18. Shots were fired at the convoy, though Cammaert and his team were unharmed. It has not yet been determined who is responsible for the incident; however, both the Houthis and the Yemeni government (along with their Saudi allies) have blamed the other side for the attack.

The ongoing conflict in Yemen is especially affecting those that live there. The first aid in six months has reached parts of western Yemen thanks to the truce in the port city of Hodeidah. The World Food Programme (WFP) released a statement saying that it delivered “more than 3,334 metric tonnes of food assistance to these areas [Hodeidah and Aden],” which means “8,125 households in Al Tuhayat have received enough assistance for two months, and 2,662 families in Al Durayhimi, south of Hodeidah, have received food rations.” As a result of the truce, on January 17, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition against the Houthis granted 24 permits to allow cargo ships carrying vital food and supplies to enter Hodeidah. In the days prior, the Arab Coalition granted another 182 land, air, and convoy-protection permits, all carrying necessary aid to those in Yemen.

According to the UN, over 14 million Yemenis are at risk of famine, which makes this aid critical. Aid organization Save the Children estimated that between April 2015 and October 2018, a minimum of 85,000 children have starved to death as a direct result of the Saudi intervention and other violence in Yemen. Meanwhile, the UN said that at least 20 million Yemenis are considered to be “food insecure,” meaning that they do not have the means or the ability to adequately provide food for themselves and their families.

It remains to be seen, however, if the ceasefire will last long enough to facilitate a meaningful flow of aid, if the peace agreement in Hodeidah can be sustained, and if these efforts will lead to more comprehensive peace efforts in Yemen.