Warring parties in Yemen agree to a 72­-hour­-long truce

SANAA: 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.

SANAA: 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.

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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 on Monday that he received assurances from all parties to the conflict o 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.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis, based in the north, seized the capital, Sanaa.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a campaign of airstrikes against the rebels.