Short-Term Cease-Fire in Yemen Appears Likely

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/19/world/middleeast/short-term-cease-fire-in-yemen-appears-likely.html

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BEIRUT, Lebanon — War-torn Yemen took a tenuous step toward a short-term cease-fire on Tuesday, as the rebels who control the country’s capital said they would hold their fire if a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia stopped its attacks and lifted its blockade of rebel-held territory.

The statement by the rebels, known as the Houthis, was their first official reaction to a 72-hour cease-fire that the United Nations said was supposed to start on Wednesday. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has been working to find a political solution to the country’s 19-month-old conflict, welcomed the cease-fire announcement.

Mr. Kerry noted in a statement that a “peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone.”

“The United States,” he added, “alongside the international community, is ready to provide assistance and will continue to work with all parties to conclude a negotiated settlement that will bring a permanent and lasting end to the conflict.”

In 2014, the Houthis seized Sana, the capital, sending the government into exile. Since then, they have been fighting against forces nominally loyal to the exiled president, Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia and its allies.

In March 2015, a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia began a campaign of airstrikes aimed at dislodging the Houthis and restoring Mr. Hadi’s government. It has not worked.

If it holds, the cease-fire could allow aid groups to reach civilians who have been cut off by the war, which has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed much of the country toward famine, according to the United Nations.

The cease-fire is to begin at 11:59 p.m. local time on Wednesday and last for 72 hours. The United Nations’ special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said all sides had told him that they would abide by the cease-fire, which can be renewed.

But past efforts to halt the fighting have not lasted, and talks on a political solution to the war collapsed in August.