Just hours before a key Senate vote that would essentially end any American involvement in the conflict, United Nations officials say they’ve brokered a ceasefire between the two factions in Yemen’s civil war.
The truce, which comes after a week of peace talks in Sweden, would halt hostilities in the key Red Sea port city of Hodeida. The agreement also would see both sides withdraw all troops from the city.
“This is just the beginning,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters after reaching the agreement.
The end of hostilities in Hodeida could help ease Yemen’s growing humanitarian crisis by allowing food and desperately needed medical supplies to reach the port, and ultimately be transported inland.
In addition to those killed in the fighting over the past four years, the UN says Yemen has seen many more die because of a lack of food and medical care.
The conflict also carries geopolitical implications that stretch beyond Yemen itself.
Yemen’s government forces, backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, have been battling against Houthi rebels supported by Iran. The U.S. hasn’t taken a direct part in the conflict but has actively supported Saudi Arabia’s efforts, including with continued arms sales to Riyadh.
The U.S. role has come under fire amid reports that Saudi Arabia is conducting indiscriminate bombing campaigns that routinely kill innocent civilians, and do so with American weapons.
Calls to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen are reaching a fever pitch in the Senate this week. On the heels of the death of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October, lawmakers said Congress needed to send a message to Riyadh.
On Thursday, the Senate is expected to pass a bipartisan resolution that would end all U.S. support for the war in Yemen. The measure likely won’t be taken up in the House, and even if it is, President Trump has said he’ll veto it.
Still, senators say the message sent by their vote could help drive peace negotiations, as it would show Riyadh that it cannot rely on U.S. support indefinitely.
“The United States should not be supporting a catastrophic war led by a despotic regime with a dangerous and irresponsible military policy,” Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent and one of the resolution’s sponsors, said on the Senate Floor Wednesday afternoon.
“It is the promise of unconditional U.S. support for the Saudis that has undermined the efforts toward peace,” he said.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.