DUBAI, Dec  23, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Yemen's warring parties have committed to
a new ceasefire and agreed to engage in a UN-led peace process to end the war,
the UN envoy for Yemen said Saturday.
       The announcement by UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, marks the
latest step to end the deadly nine-year war that has killed hundreds of
thousands of people and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
       It follows recent meetings by Grundberg in Saudi Arabia and Oman with
Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen's Saudi-backed presidential council and Mohammed
Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator of the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
       Grundberg said he "welcomes the parties' commitment to a set of measures to
implement a nation-wide ceasefire... and (to) engage in preparations for the
resumption of an inclusive political process," according to a statement by his
office.
       The envoy "will now engage with the parties to establish a road map under
UN auspices that includes these commitments and supports their implementation,"
the statement added.
       Yemen has been gripped by conflict since the Iran-backed Huthi rebels took
control of the capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military
intervention in support of the beleaguered government the following year.
       A UN-brokered ceasefire that took effect in April 2022 brought a sharp
reduction in hostilities. The truce expired in October last year, though
fighting largely remains on hold.
       Grundberg will now "engage with the parties to establish a roadmap under UN
auspices" that includes these commitments.
       It includes commitments to pay civil servants' salaries, open routes into
the rebel-blockaded city of Taez and other parts of Yemen and resume oil
exports, according to the statement.
       "Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to provide for
tangible results and progress towards lasting peace," Grundberg said.
       "The parties have taken a significant step. Their commitments are, first
and foremost, an obligation to the Yemeni people."
       
       - Red Sea attacks -
    
       
       The agreement comes amid a flurry of attacks by the Huthi rebels on key
shipping lanes in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip, where Israel is fighting Hamas militants.
       The Huthis have pledged to attack Israel-linked vessels or ships heading to
Israeli ports unless an end is brought to the Israel-Hamas war that started on
October 7.
       They have launched more than 100 drone and missile attacks, targeting 10
merchant vessels involving more than 35 different countries, according to the
Pentagon.
       The attacks by the rebels are imperilling a transit route that carries up
to 12 percent of global trade, prompting the United States to set up a
multinational naval task force to protect Red Sea shipping.
       The Huthi "military actions hinder progress towards a peaceful resolution,"
Mohammed Albasha, a senior Middle East analyst for the US-based Navanti Group,
told AFP.
       "The Huthis have transitioned... to becoming aggressors targeting civilian
assets," he said.
       The latest agreement also coincides with a push by Saudi Arabia to
extricate itself from the conflict, despite slim hopes of a lasting peace.
       The oil-rich monarchy gave a signal this year by resuming ties with Iran,
which backs the Huthis against the Saudi-supported government in a proxy war.
       The Saudi-led intervention's stated aim was to protect civilians from Huthi
attacks, restore the government and stop Yemen becoming a safe haven for
Iranian-backed forces.
       Eight years in, the rebels control swathes of the country and command an
impressive arsenal of weapons that they have used to attack Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates, another coalition member.
       Many analysts are pessimistic that Riyadh's plans for a downsized military
role will bring peace to Yemen, which remains deeply fractured along religious,
regional and political lines.