Yemen’s government and southern separatist forces have agreed to a ceasefire and will begin talks on implementing an earlier peace agreement, according to a Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthi rebels.
The former coalition allies on Monday agreed to a ceasefire in Abyan province – a major hotspot of clashes – and the de-escalation of tensions in other regions.
The self-styled Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi also agreed to hold a meeting on implementing a 2019 Riyadh agreement involving committees from both sides, coalition Spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement carried by official Saudi Press Agency.
Tensions between the two former allies in Yemen’s long-running war have grown since April, when the United Arab Emirates-backed STC unilaterally announced self-rule in areas under its control in Yemen.
The STC fighters were the on-the-ground allies of the UAE, once Saudi Arabia’s main coalition partner in its military campaign against the Houthis, who control vast swaths of territory in Yemen’s north.
