Yemen cease-fire begins in seven provinces amid tension

A UN-brokered cease-fire went into effect at midnight on Sunday between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and the armed rebels of the Shiite Houthi group across seven provinces in the war-torn Arab country, government sources told Xinhua.

The cessation of hostilities began from 2100 GMT on Sunday to the end of Kuwait peace talks between the warring Yemeni sides which are scheduled for April 18 in order to end 282 days of civil war.

The internationally recognized Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab coalition announced previously they would honor the cease-fire, but the coalition reserves the right to retaliate and confront any breaches by Houthis on-ground.

Yemen's Foreign Minister Abul-Malik Mekhlafi said "President Hadi ordered leadership of the armed forces across the country to fully abide by the cease-fire."

The Shiite Houthi group and their allies in the capital city Sanaa issued an official declaration that they will respect the cease-fire, according pro-Houthi media outlets.

The armed confrontations continued between pro-government troops and the Shiite Houthi rebels in the country's southern province of Taiz two hours before the cease-fire took effect.

Less than one hour before the start of the cease-fire, Saudi-led warplanes launched five airstrikes against positions held by Houthis in Serwah area of northern Marib province.

Military sources told Xinhua that army reinforcements loyal to the Shiite Houthi group that was backed by heavy armored vehicles were mobilized to several battlefields hours before the cease-fire.

It's the fourth cease-fire since the Saudi-led coalition began air strikes in March 2015 to support the legitimate government of Yemen's internationally recognized President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Previous cease-fires have failed while negotiations collapsed, but analysts expect a more conducive atmosphere during the Kuwait talks next week.

The impoverished Arab country was plunged into violence in September 2014 when the Shiite Houthi group invaded the country's capital Sanaa, driving President Hadi into exile.

The conflict soon turned into an all-out civil war between pro-government forces and Houthi rebels who were backed by troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, triggering foreign military intervention by Saudi-led coalition that aims to restore the internationally recognized government of Hadi.

More than 6,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, half of them civilians.

The warring forces have failed to reach a political solution to end the ongoing war, but agreed to resume new round of talks next week in Kuwait after their latest UN-sponsored negotiations in Switzerland in December 2015.

The deadlock came after former pro-rebel President Saleh said he would not negotiate with Hadi's government, vowing to "continue fighting to expel the coalition forces out of the Yemeni territories."

Source: XINHUA