Yemen: UN hails Saudi Arabia’s mediation in peace deal

A renewed peace agreement stipulates that all military apparatus must leave Yemen's second city of Aden. AFP

The United Nations praised Saudi Arabia on Thursday for its efforts in mediating and pushing a power-sharing peace deal between Yemen’s government and the Southern Transitional Council.

“This is an important step towards the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Yemen through a Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices," the UN Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said in a statement.

The separatist STC rescinded a declaration of self-rule on Wednesday and vowed to implement the deal, known as the Riyadh Agreement, signed in the Saudi capital last November.

Mr Griffiths lauded the consensus reached by the two sides and said the initiative was an important step towards a peaceful resolution of the five-year-old conflict.

The deal aims to reunite the two allies in the fight against the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels who have seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia declared on Wednesday that it had proposed a plan to accelerate the deal, which calls for a new government to be formed in 30 days and the appointment of a governor and security director for Aden, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Shortly afterwards, Yemen's President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi appointed a governor and chief of police in Aden, the interim seat of the government.

Mr Hadi ordered Prime Minister Moeen Abdul Malik to form a new 24-member cabinet representing north and south Yemen equally and including the STC within the next 30 days.

The renewed agreement stipulates that all military apparatus must leave Aden within that time frame, forces in neighbouring Abyan province should disengage and return to previous positions, and a ceasefire agreed in June should continue.

The deal was thrown into disarray this year as disagreements between the two sides led to STC fighters seizing control of Aden and clashes breaking out across southern Yemen.

The war in Yemen has driven millions of people to the verge of starvation, requiring the world’s biggest humanitarian response.

The dispute within the anti-Houthi camp has stalled UN efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and an end to the conflict.

Mr Griffiths and his team have been holding virtual talks between the warring parties to agree a permanent ceasefire and a restart to peace negotiations, last held in December 2018.

The UN envoy told the Security Council on Tuesday that peace negotiations could “slip away” if an agreement is not reached soon, leading to a new phase of violence and an economic decline.