Hopes For Peace In Yemen Take A Step Forward
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Finally, there is some progress being made in the tragic civil war in Yemen which has claimed so many civilian lives as well as causing mass suffering. The Houthi rebels as required in the UN-brokered agreement, have started to pull out of Hudaydah. However as to be expected there is still a lot of suspicion on both sides with pro-government officials doubting the validity. of the withdrawal. However, barring any change of heart by either side, this should allow vital humanitarian aid to begin flowing through; a vital move as nearly two-thirds of Yemen’s population are in desperate need of food, and there are 3.7 million tonnes of grain available for distribution in the stores in Hudaydah port. Its closure has had a devastating impact on the nation, which now sits on the brink of famine. UN forces are in situ now monitoring events and both the BBC and the AFP news agency have indicated that the withdrawal is happening.
If this UN Stockholm agreement fails the consequences for the civilian population will be catastrophic, and although it seems to be advancing the pro-government supporters, led by Saudi Arabia are casting doubts on it claiming the Houthi’s are disguising rebels as police officials and civil servants. This is possible given that the Yemeni People generally support the rebels, however, hopefully, they will be given the benefit of the doubt and things can move towards a lasting peace. Perhaps a democratically held election is the answer?
The #Yemen civil war has been named one of the “greatest preventable disasters facing humanity” and it will have killed 140,000 children by the end of this year. pic.twitter.com/xFzd4LDIEp
— view qatar (@View_Qatar) May 6, 2019
