Maat Condemns the Houthis’ Violations of the Armistice Agreement a Few Hours after it Became Effective

Okeil: Violation of the armistice agreement confirms the intentions of the Houthis to commit more violations against Yemenis

Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights strongly condemns the Houthi militia's violation of the armistice agreement, some hours after the United Nations announced its entry into force. The Houthi militia used drones, mortars and machine guns in clear violation of all international conventions and covenants, and showing their strong inclination to continue committing more violations against Yemenis.

Both sides in the Yemeni conflict, the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia, have agreed to a two-month ceasefire starting this Saturday, April 2, 2022, the UN special envoy for Yemen announced on Friday. The cease-fire they agreed on allows fuel ships to enter the Houthi-held Hodeidah port and select flights from Sanaa airport and opening airports in Taiz and other governorates.

The truce was widely welcomed in Yemen, as well as internationally and regionally, especially after the significant escalation witnessed in recent weeks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia, which launched a series of terrorist attacks targeting vital and economic facilities of neighboring countries, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

However, a few hours after its entry into force, as usual, the Houthis continued to violate the truce and impede the arrival of humanitarian aid and relief efforts. The total violations amounted to over 40 violations of the humanitarian truce supported by the United Nations on the two fronts of the "Al-Barh" fronts, west of Taiz Governorate (south), and "Hais" in the south of Al-Hodeidah Governorate (west).

Ayman Okeil, the international human rights expert and president of Maat said that the Houthi militia repeatedly obstructs all UN efforts to reach a peaceful settlement to end the conflict in Yemen, by repudiating their commitments. Okeil added that since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, which has entered its eighth year, the legitimate government and the international coalition took the initiative several times to declare a humanitarian truce was held in an effort to deliver humanitarian and medical assistance to civilians bombed by the Houthis, but these attempts were met with violations by the Houthis each time, which reveals their true intention to commit more violations against the Yemeni people, who are now suffering from the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

Okeil stressed that the Houthi militia uses hunger as a weapon of war, and impedes civilians' access to their most basic right to life, which is water and food, which in turn exacerbates the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country, and presents a grave violation of international humanitarian law.