Blinken presses for extension of Yemen truce
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of Yemen Rashad Al-Alimi in New York
New York – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged a fresh extension of a fragile truce in Yemen, saying it had improved lives in the war-ravaged nation.
Meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly with Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s presidential leadership council, Blinken hailed the country’s new leader for his “vital” role.
“I think it’s fair to say that the truce, whose effects are being felt throughout Yemen, has made a profound difference in improving people’s lives, and your own leadership in working to sustain that truce has made a huge difference,” Blinken said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken emphasized the “urgency” of extending the UN-mediated truce with Iranian-backed Huthi rebels which expires on October 2.
The truce, already extended twice, has brought a respite from fighting despite continued tensions in a nation gripped by conflict for more than eight years.
The Huthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention and a humanitarian crisis that has left much of Yemen at the brink of starvation.
More than two-thirds of Yemen’s 30 million people rely on humanitarian aid to survive, according to the United Nations.