One day into the Yemen ceasefire, Saudi warplanes were still pounding Houthi bases, and troops on both sides were still exchanging fire in virtually every province with active presences on both sides, leaving the nation the same violent mess it’s been throughout the war and at least 42 people killed.
Early indications are that the bulk of the slain are Houthis killed in Saudi airstrikes, but the Saudis also reported losing a commander to Houthi firing near the border, and six civilians were reported killed in shelling in the contested city of Taiz.
It’s not unusual for ceasefires in Yemen to get off to a kind of “rolling start,” but over 24 hours in, there seems to be little sign of a serious slowdown, and a lot of talk of abandoning the ceasefire entirely before the 7-day deadline is finished.
Though this is bad for the ceasefire, obviously, it may also provide a hint that the Geneva talks, which the ceasefire was to facilitate, aren’t going so well, and that combatants feel they aren’t risking much in continuing to fight amid the talks.