72-hour cease-fire

Photo: The Canadian Press

The warring parties in Yemen have agreed to a 72-hour cease-fire that will take effect shortly before midnight Wednesday, the UN special envoy to Yemen said.

Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he hopes the temporary truce can lead to "permanent and lasting end to the conflict."

Ahmed said in a statement late Monday that he received assurances from all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities at 11:59 p.m. local time on Wednesday for an initial period of 72 hours that is subject to renewal.

The warring factions agreed to follow the conditions of a temporary April cease-fire agreement, he said. The agreement requires them to "to allow free and unhindered access for humanitarian supplies and personnel" to all parts of Yemen, he said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Yemen's warring parties to take the necessary measures to implement the cease-fire, "sustain it, and strongly encourage its unconditional renewal."

"We note again that (a) peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone," Kerry said in a statement. "The United States, alongside the international community, is ready to provide assistance and will continue to work with all parties to conclude a negotiated settlement that will bring a permanent and lasting end to the conflict."

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis based in the north seized the capital, Sanaa and later swept across much of the poor Arabian Peninsula country with the help of army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

More than 4,000 civilians have been killed and 3 million of the country's 26 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting. Hunger has become widespread in the Arab world's poorest country.