Yemen: UN-sponsored talks continue amid ‘alarming’ reports of ceasefire violations

As United Nations-sponsored consultations on Yemen continued today, the UN envoy facilitating the talks expressed deep concern at numerous reports of violations of the three-day-old ceasefire and urged the parties to respect that agreement and allow access to the country’s most-affected districts.

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, held several sessions with the participants on the fourth day of the peace talks in Switzerland. The discussions focused mostly on security issues in Yemen, in light of the alarming developments on the ground.

Deeply concerned at the numerous reports of violations of the cessation of hostilities, Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed urges all parties to respect this agreement and allow unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the most affected districts of Yemen.

In his latest meeting with the heads of delegations, they all renewed their commitment for a ceasefire. A coordination and de-escalation committee was created to strengthen adherence to the cessation of hostilities.

The bilateral and group consultations between the Special Envoy and the delegations will continue tomorrow to build on what was agreed upon in previous days and continue efforts to find an urgent political resolution to the crisis in Yemen.