The announcement of the planned first commercial flight from Yemen’s Sanaa airport in six years was welcomed by the UN on Thursday, while parties were urged to continue facilitating such flights in line with the truce agreed at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
The Amman-bound flight, scheduled to take off from Sanaa on Sunday, is an “important element” of the two-month truce agreement recently enacted in Yemen, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
The truce was hailed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “the start of a better future for the people of Yemen.”
Meanwhile, Dujarric thanked Jordan “for its support in bringing about this achievement, and the government of Yemen for its constructive role in making this happen,” adding that they count on the continued facilitation of all parties involved to ensure a successful flight on Sunday, and to continue facilitating flights as per the terms of the truce agreement.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said it is still fragile and temporary, although the ceasefire is broadly holding.
However, stating that such reports must be addressed urgently through the truce mechanisms, Dujarric expressed concern at the UN Security Council last week over military operations around Marib.
Fighting had broken out on the outskirts of Marib one week into the ceasefire, after the Houthi militia attacked government forces.
Yemen’s internationally recognized government has accused the Iran-backed militia of using the Ramadan truce to mobilize new combatants and military equipment.
