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Saudis agree to 'pause' bombardment of Yemen

HOSTILITIES will pause in the Saudi Arabian-led war on Yemen tomorrow, just days after an initial UN-brokered ceasefire broke down following air strikes on the port of Hudaydah.

The “immediate ceasefire” has been agreed by both the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s rebel Houthi forces with a delay needed to pass orders to soldiers on the ground, according to UN and Yemeni officials.

A week of intense negotiations in the Swedish capital Stockholm last week was hailed as “a significant step forward” in bringing an end to the devastating bombing campaign which began in March 2015.

More than 10,000 civilians have been killed in the war, according to the World Health Organisation. The United Nations has warned that up to 13 million Yemenis are on the brink of starvation, with more than 22 million, a third of the country’s population, reliant on humanitarian aid.

UN special envoy Martin Griffiths told the security council in New York that, although the ceasefire had been agreed, there was now a “daunting task … to turn the tide of war towards peace.”

Under the Sweden agreement both warring sides had agreed to withdraw from the port city within 21 days, with international monitors set to be deployed and a prisoner swap involving 16,000 detainees.

However, the initial promise looked to have been shattered when fighting broke out in Hudaydah hours after the announcement of the truce.

Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen is backed by imperialist countries including Britain and the US, which have provided military and tactical support along with increased sales of weapons. Riyadh’s aim is to reinstall Yemeni president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who was ousted by Houthi rebels in 2014.

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