Yemen’s Houthis call on Arab coalition ‘to abide by ceasefire’

Yemen’s Houthi group yesterday called on the Saudi-led coalition to abide by a recent United Nations (UN)-brokered ceasefire agreement.

The group’s remarks came following recent accusations by the Arab coalition that the group was “violating the ceasefire agreement”.

The Houthis’ political bureau leader, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, said that the allegations were “groundless”, holding the coalition’s “attacks and siege” responsible for the arrival of the novel coronavirus in Yemen.

Al-Houthi also accused the coalition’s air force of “shelling food supplies in Al-Bayda governorate”.

READ: Rights groups call for release of death row journalists in Yemen 

Ten people have been found to have contracted COVID-19 in Yemen, two of whom have died.

On 24 April, the Arab coalition announced an extension to the ceasefire agreement for an additional month at the request of the UN.

Violations were reported to have continued in recent weeks amid mutual accusations between the coalition and the Houthis. The agreement was initiated by the UN, in an effort to prevent the spread of the global coronavirus, known as COVID-19.