Yemen Truce Is Good News for the Wider World
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have died as a result of the brutal conflict that has destabilized the region and posed a threat to Saudi oil exports.
Will the truce hold?
Photographer: Saleh Al-Obeidi/AFP/Getty Images
Do we dare hope for Yemen? A truce called at the start of the month has now held for three weeks, far longer than any previous cessation of hostilities. The United Nations envoy to the country, Hans Grundberg, who brokered the deal, has told the Security Council that there is “a chance to steer Yemen in a new direction.”
Yemenis will be grateful for even the slimmest of chances. The people of the Middle East’s poorest country have endured war for nearly seven years. The United Nations reckons nearly 400,000 have died as a result, and more than three million have been displaced from their homes. More than 24 million people, or 80% of the population, need humanitarian assistance, and 2 in 5 people are at high risk of starvation.