Aden (South24)

Informed sources told “South 24” that the Yemeni Presidential Council (PLC) in principle agreed to extend the current UN-sponsored Truce in Yemen for additional two months. This was confirmed by the media outlets.

An informed governmental source told “South24” that The Yemeni Presidential Council agreed in principle to extend the UN Truce which will end tomorrow, on Thursday, with a condition to open roads in Taiz and other governorates. According to the source, the Presidential Council still awaits ending some protocol procedures including the Houthi approval of implementing the conditions and extending the Truce. 

Chinese News Agency “Xinhua” cited a diplomatic source that “the Presidential Council informed the UN Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, its approval to extend the truce for two additional months starting from June 2nd till August 2nd".

According to Xinhua, this approval came as part of efforts to compete for the articles of the ongoing Truce including allocating the revenues of ships that entered the Houthi-controlled Al-Hodeida Port for paying the salaries of the public employees in the areas controlled by the group as well as opening the roads to the besieged city of Taiz and other governorates. 

“Xinhua” pointed out that the UN Envoy is expected to announce the extension of the Truce on Wednesday or Thursday. 

On Monday, the UN Envoy met with Rashad Al-Alimi, the Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Council, and the Foreign Minister, Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak, in the Southern city of Aden. 

On Tuesday, Hans Grundberg met in Oman’s capital city of Muscat with Houthi representatives. The UN Envoy said in a brief statement on Twitter that “he met in Muscat on Tuesday with the Houthis’ Chief Negotiator, Mohammed Abdulsalam, and Omani officials”.

He stressed “the need to reopen the roads in Taiz and other Yemeni regions and renew the Truce as well as taking serious steps towards comprehensively ending the conflict”.

Abdulsalam said the meeting “discussed the path of the humanitarian and the military Truce and the obstacles and complexities it has encountered as well as the importance of paying the salaries across the Republic”.

The informed source told “South24” that “The Houthis seek to secure more concessions in the incoming Truce and to delay the opening of roads to the new phase of the Truce”.  

The Houthi intentions could collide with the Presidential Council’s conditions if not reaching an agreement upon them. Experts criticized the successive concessions delivered by the Internationally-Recognized Government while the Houthis continue their siege on Taiz and launch military attacks in more than one governorate. 

On Sunday morning, a soldier was killed and another was injured due to a Houthi attack on Al-Fakher Front, north of Al-Dhale, according to reports published by Al Dhale Axis media and military sources who spoke to “South24”.

The two-month truce came into effect on April 2nd. During the truce, the intensity of the military operations decreased, and the International Sanaa Airport was reopened for limited commercial flights. Moreover, fuel derivatives ships were allowed to enter Al-Hodeida Port. However, the opening roads file has been stumbled.

Grundberg led direct negotiations between the Houthis and the Yemeni Government delegations in Jordan’s capital city of Amman during the past days to push the Houthis for implementing the Truce’s article related to opening the Roads of Taiz and other governorates but it didn’t apparently achieve any progress.