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Egypt welcomes 72-hour humanitarian truce in Yemen

Xinhua, October 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Egypt welcomed a 72-hour renewable humanitarian cease-fire brokered by the United Nations in Yemen, said Egypt's Foreign ministry on Thursday.

"We hope that all sides will commit to the truce to pave the way for the resumption of political negotiations in order to bring security and stabilities to all Yemenis," Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a press release.

Abu Zeid also stressed Egypt's full support of Yemen's legal authorities, adding that a political solution based on the relevant UN Security Council and Gulf Initiative resolutions is the best means of reaching a permanent solution in Yemen.

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said on Tuesday that he received assertions from all Yemeni parties that they will abide by the cessation of hostilities as of midnight Wednesday.

Several previous cease-fires fell through minutes after going into effect, and failed to permit access of humanitarian workers to deliver desperately needed aid or pave the way for peace talks.

The situation in Yemen has deteriorated economically and politically since March 2015, when a war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

Houthis and Saleh's forces control most of Yemen's northern regions while government forces supported by the Saudi-led military coalition control the rest of the country.

The civil war, ground battles and airstrikes have thus far killed over 10,000 people, half civilians, injured over 35,000 others and displaced over 2 million, according to humanitarian agencies. Endit