Local De-Escalation Committees in Taiz reach a ceasefire agreement

The Local De-Escalation Committees in the Governorate of Taiz have reached an agreement with the warring sides to reinforce the ceasefire on all fronts in the city and its western districts, open the roads and lift the siege of the city.

The cessation of hostilities began at midnight on 10 April to pave the way for the next round of face-to-face talks on 18 April in Kuwait.

The committees said the ceasefire would come into effect at 3:00 pm (local time) on Saturday.

Under the agreement, a source at the committees added, roads from the city's downtown leading to capital Sanaa and Al Hudaydah would be opened in the first phase and other roads will follow gradually.

''An understanding has been reached to reinforce the ceasefire on the ground,'' a source at the committees said, adding that monitors will be deployed to supervise implementation of the ceasefire.

The source said that each of the warring sides will bring lists of prisoners for a potential swap.

On Friday, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, told the 15-member Security Council that Yemen is now at a critical crossroads with one path leading to peace while the other can only worsen the security and humanitarian situation.

He expressed his hope the parties will come to an agreement on a clear way to end the violence and devastation in Yemen.

The talks between the internationally-recognized government and Houthi militias will commence on 18 April and aim to reach a comprehensive agreement, to end the conflict and allow the resumption of inclusive political dialogue in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and other relevant resolutions.

Source:WAM