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Saudi-led coalition announces cease-fire in Yemen

Xinhua, April 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Saudi-led Arab coalition announced cease-fire in Yemen starting from Sunday night, paving the way for negotiations scheduled for April 18 in Kuwait, according to Saudi Press Agency.

This was a response to the Yemeni government's request for truce from 2100 GMT on Sunday to the end of Kuwait talks, according to a coalition statement.

It's the fourth cease-fire since the Saudi-led coalition began air strikes in March 2015 to support the 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 coalition command announced that the cease-fire might be extended if the negotiators, representing all Yemen's conflict sides, decided to extend it. The coalition will response to any violation of the truce by the Houthis or their supporters.

Saudi Arabia announced last month that the war in Yemen is about to end, revealing that battles across Saudi-Yemeni borders with the Houthi militias had ended as result of tribal mediations. Operations in the coming phase will be to bring stability back and reconstruct the country. Endit