One day after the previous ceasefire expired, Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that they are extending their Yemen ceasefire for another month, saying it is needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic in war-torn Yemen.
Whether this will be a serious help is unclear. The first ceasefire was rejected by the Houthis because the Saudis did not ease their naval blockade of Yemen, which is keeping humanitarian, and especially medical aid, in short supply.
The Houthis argued that since the blockade is enforced militarily, it isn’t a complete ceasefire with the blockade still in place. The Saudis provided no sign of the ceasefire changing anything about the blockade once again.
This probably means a continuation of what hasn’t been a ceasefire at all, with both sides continuing to fight, and hope for peace talks never panning out. This has meant a ceasefire in name only.
Saudis Extend Yemen Ceasefire by One Month
No sign of easing naval blockade
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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