Yemen truce extended for two months, but warring sides far apart
Al JazeeraNov 18, 2022
The Facts
On Thu., the UN announced that the Yemeni government and Houthi rebel forces have agreed to extend their truce for an additional two months under the same conditions.
The renewal, which came into effect on June 2 at 7 pm local time, was praised by the US, who highlighted the cooperation between regional powers, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Jordan, that made it possible.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This is an important step towards ending the senseless suffering of Yemenis, and shows that all parties are willing to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Nevertheless, it was achieved in large part due to the flexibility of the government; the Houthis will also have to make meaningful concessions - such as upholding their agreement to lift the siege of Taiz - before lasting peace can be achieved.
Establishment-critical narrative
Despite hopes that the initial ceasefire would stop their aggression, the Saudi-led coalition has simply exploited it to further mobilize militants. To aggravate the situation, their forces and allies have frequently violated the truce, harming the Yemeni people. Renewing the deal under such conditions is meaningless.
Narrative C
The war in Yemen, now in its eighth year, is every bit as brutal as what's taking place in Ukraine, and both sides have violated the agreed ceasefire on numerous occasions. The West's failure to address this humanitarian disaster or cover it in the media with any sort of urgency says a lot about the world's inherent bias and who is considered worthy versus unworthy victims.