Iraqi, Kurdish officials welcome Yemen truce

Aveen Karim

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Prominent Iraqi officials and Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Yemen, pausing the seven-year-long war which the United Nations (UN) describes as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. 

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition agreed to observe a two-month truce, which took effect on Saturday, the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. This comes amid progress between Iran and world leaders, with talks in the final stage of restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. 

State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki tweeted a statement on Sunday expressing his support for the ceasefire in Yemen.  He called the UN-brokered truce a “glimmer of hope” and called on all parties to adhere to the ceasefire and to use the opportunity to work towards achieving a “just and stable peace.” Maliki added that Yemen had experienced enough human suffering throughout the war. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also welcomed the truce in a tweet on Sunday.

 

Leader of the Sadrist Movement Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday posted a short message, wishing “peace for Yemen and its people.”


Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim on Saturday also expressed his full support of initiative and urged all sides to the conflict to use the ceasefire as “a favorable opportunity to end the war.”

The Iraqi foreign ministry also welcomed the cessation of hostilities “inside Yemen and on the Yemeni-Saudi border.” The ministry also commended the work of the UN and of Arab Gulf states in conducting dialogue to reach a truce. 

"The two-month truce started at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) tonight. As of tonight, all offensive ground, aerial and naval military operations should cease," UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a statement. 

Previous ceasefires in 2016 and 2018 were largely ineffective and almost immediately violated. Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have welcomed the latest truce, which is the outcome of months of diplomacy and negotiations.

Iraq has also played a key role in negotiations regarding Yemen, by mediating and hosting four rounds of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad last year. The talks have been taking place in the backdrop of ongoing indirect talks, which are currently in their final stage, between Iran and the US aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal.

Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic have had rocky relations since 1979, when Shia revolutionaries came to power in Iran and pledged to export its revolution to the world, including Gulf countries. Their relations deteriorated in 2016 when Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions after the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Iran’s support for Houthi rebels in the Yemeni civil war since late 2014 has caused concerns for the Saudi establishment.

Tens of thousands have been killed, and over 80 percent of Yemen’s population is dependent on aid according to the UN.

Updated at 2:07pm