Yemen Ramadan Truce Expires Today
The two-month-long truce in Yemen’s civil war will officially expire today.
In April, the two conflicting parties of the Yemeni Civil War—the internationally recognized coalition government led by Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group—signed a truce that briefly halted hostilities in the country. Dubbed the Ramadan truce as it coincided with the first day of the holy month of Islam, the ceasefire has thus far been the most concrete step in achieving peace for the future. Despite the United Nations’ call for the extension of the truce, it will come to an end today as talks for an extension have been discontinued due to the belligerents’ inability to reach an agreement.
The Yemeni civil war is a crucial piece of the years-long regional proxy conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Neither Riyadh nor Tehran wishes to lose political face in the Middle East by providing radical concessions—such as backing down from sending weapons—and capitulating to the other belligerent’s demands. The UN’s efforts to mediate the situation under the leadership of Special Envoy Hans Grundberg will likely also continue to be ineffective considering that the UN lacks any influence over the Houthi rebel group.
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