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On March 30, the Supreme Political Council (SPC) in Yemen, which is led by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), said that a ceasefire announced by it three days earlier had ended.
Under the ceasefire, the Houthis suspend missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia and ground offensive operations in Yemen. The group said that the peace initiative could become a lasting commitment if the Saudi-led coalition halted its airstrikes on Yemen and ended its siege on the country’s ports and airports.
The Saudi-led coalition did halt its airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen as demanded by the Houthis. However, the siege was not lifted.
In a statement, the SPC citied the coalition’s unwillingness to lift the siege of Yemen as the main reason to the collapse of the ceasefire.
“There will be no peace without lifting the siege off the Yemeni people and respecting the sovereignty and independence of Yemen,” the statement reads.
Despite the SPC announcement, the Saudi-led coalition said on March 31 that it will remain committed to suspending all military operation in Yemen in line with a peace initiative sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Saudi-backed initiative was announced prior to the Houthis’ one.
“We are taking all steps to make the cessation of military operations [in Yemen] successful and to reach comprehensive peace,” the coalition said in a statement that was shared by the Saudi Press Agency.
With the Saudi-led coalition refusing to fully comply with the SPC’s peace initiative and the Houthis refusing to accept the GCC’ initiative, the chances of any progress in Yemen’s peace process remains slim.
Despite their disagreement, both the coalition and the Houthis don’t appear too interested in a military escalation, at least for the time being.
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