SANAA: UN special envoy Hans Grundberg started his first visit to Yemen’s revolutionary- held capital on Monday, following an April 2 ceasefire that the country’s warring parties have indicted each other of violating.
The Swedish diplomat is listed to meet Huthi revolutionary officers during his first Sanaa visit since taking office in September.
“ He’s looking forward to engaging with Ansar Allah (Huthi) leadership on enforcing and strengthening the armistice and agitating the way forward,” Grundberg’s office said in a tweet publicizing his appearance.
Iran- backed Houthi mutineers took control of Sanaa in 2014, egging a Saudi- led coalition’s service intervention the ensuing time and driving what the United Nations calls the world’s worst philanthropic extremity.
The two-month ceasefire declared at the launch of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has largely been held.
“ Since the launch of the armistice, we’ve seen a significant reduction of violence,” Grundberg told a virtual press conference last week.
Still, both sides have traded blame over violations, with the government criminating the revolutionists of military deployments and drone attacks while the mutineers say they “ repelled an advance” by patriots.
A Yemeni military source also told AFP on Friday that loyalist forces had “ repelled a Huthi attack” in southern Marib, the government’s last fort in the north of the country. Grundberg has prompted all parties to exercise “ restraint”, twittering that he was “ following veritably nearly the rearmost developments in Marib”.
On Thursday, Yemen’s Riyadh- grounded President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi blazoned he was handing over his powers to a new leadership council assigned with reaching a “ final political result” with the Houthis.
The current, renewable armistice called for a halt to all ground, air and ocean military operations. Two marketable breakouts a week can renew in and out of Sanaa, and 18 energy vessels are allowed into the Houthi- held lifeline harborage of Hodeida.
