CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -A two-month truce in Yemen which goes into effect on Saturday must be a first step in ending the county’s devastating war, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the eve of the ceasefire.

Detailed explanation-2: -AL-MUKALLA: Yemenis will remember 2022 as the year that saw the longest halt in hostilities since the beginning of the war, and the emergence of a new governing body that united the country’s competing groups.

Detailed explanation-3: -The truce had first come into effect on 2 April 2022 and was renewed twice for two-month periods, in June and August. Among other things, it provided for a halt to offensive military operations by both the Houthi and Internationally Recognized Government (IRG)1 sides.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the almost decade-old civil war in Yemen, the adherence to a cease-fire that began in April 2022 by the Shiite Zaydi Houthi rebels suggests they are now prepared to live with a political outcome to the war that leaves them in control of most, but not all, Yemenis.

Detailed explanation-5: -UN Envoy Hans Grundberg urges both sides to continue efforts to try and extend ceasefire first accepted in April. Yemen’s warring sides have failed to reach an agreement to extend a nationwide ceasefire, the United Nations has said.