Yemen’s govt & separatists agree on ceasefire as they plan talks on peace deal – Saudi-led coalition

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and southern separatist forces have agreed on a ceasefire, the Saudi-led coalition said on Monday. The two sides will begin talks in Saudi Arabia on implementing a peace deal, it added.

The government, based in the southern port of Aden, and the separatists are nominal allies in the Saudi-led coalition, which has been at war against the Houthis that have controlled the capital, Sanaa, since 2014.

The separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self rule in April, and the two sides have been fighting in the south, complicating UN efforts to forge a permanent ceasefire to the overall conflict. Tensions escalated over the weekend after the STC seized control of Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Arabian Sea, Reuters reported.

The two sides have now agreed to a ceasefire in Abyan province along the coast east of Aden, as well as de-escalation of tensions in Socotra and other regions, according to a statement from the coalition. Saudi Arabia wants to prevent another front developing among its allies in Yemen’s multifaceted war.