Peace agreement reached in conflict-stricken Yemen
Yemeni government officials and Shia rebels signed a peace
agreement on Sunday which included plans for an immediate ceasefire and
the formation of a technocratic government within a month. Jamal Benomar,
the UN's envoy to Yemen, said Saturday that the peace deal "will
lay the foundations for national partnership and for security and stability in
the country." Benomar struggled to broker a last-minute peace deal between
Houthi rebels, a militant Shia movement, and the government.
Violence has raged for several days leaving more than 140
people dead and thousands displaced from their homes. The Houthi rebels seized
numerous strategically important installations in Sana'a, including the defence
ministry, the central bank, a key military base and Iman University. The Houthi
leader, Abdelmalek al-Houthi, is calling for the transitional government in
place since 2011 to be dissolved and replaced with a more effective and
representative body; for fuel subsidies cut in July to be reinstated; and
for agreements made during peace talks that drew to a close in January to be
implemented. The president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has largely agreed to his
demands.
After the 2012 Arab Spring protests saw the removal of
leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen has witnessed a very instable transition to
democracy including Houthi rebel groups and the spread of al Qaeda.
