Yemenis breathe 'a collective sigh of relief' during UN-led truce, says aid worker

Story Transcript

People in Yemen are feeling some much needed hope and relief as a new truce interrupts more than seven years of devastating war, says aid worker Renata Rendon.

The United Nations announced Friday that it had brokered a two-month ceasefire between the Saudi-led coalition, which includes Yemen's internationally recognized government, and the Houthi rebel group, which is aligned with Iran.

The deal will also allow fuel ships to enter Houthi-held areas, and for some commercial flights to operate out of the airport in the capital of Sanaa.

It is widely considered the most significant step yet towards ending the civil war, which has led to what the UN calls "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world." Hundreds of thousands have died in Yemen since the start of the war, and millions more have been displaced or forced into starvation.

Renata Rendon is the advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Yemen. Here is part of her conversation with As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. 

Renata, how are people in Yemen responding to the news of this truce?

I think there was a collective sigh of relief and a sense of hopefulness among humanitarian aid workers and Yemeni communities alike.

Yemeni people are actually quite optimistic. We can see this not only in the streets, but also across social media, that there has been quite a positive response so far.

The truce was announced at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, so things have been quite peaceful. And my colleague said to me yesterday that his brother-in-law, who's suffering from liver cancer, is hopeful that he may actually be able to get a flight out of Sanaa to a neighbouring country where he can receive the medical care he needs and hasn't been able to get over several years.

Have things been peaceful since the agreement took effect over the weekend? Has it held?

So far, things have been quite peaceful. We have received some reports of skirmishes here and there, but I believe that the UN was prepared for this and I'm not aware of any significant breach of the truce to date. So, so far, so good — although we're just a few days into it, of course.

Who signed on to the agreement and which parties might be missing?

The parties to the conflict that have agreed to the UN-led truce are Ansar Allah, who are also known as the Houthis, who control the north of the country; and the internationally recognized government of Yemen, which controls the south of the country. And these are the two main parties to the conflict that have agreed to this truce.

There are other armed groups, of course, operating in the country that are not a part of this truce, but these are the two main actors.

And this, of course, is seen as a proxy war, in many ways, between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who support opposite sides. Does there seem to be backing from those parties?

We understand that the Saudi-led coalition has seen the truce proposal and is backing the internationally recognized government of Yemen in implementing the truce.

What are some of the specific points in the agreement that have been reached? In practical terms, you know, what's it going to mean?

They've announced and agreed to a halt to all military offensives in the country. So this is ... very positive, seeing as there has been a significant escalation in violence over the past few months.

They've also agreed on the entry of fuel ships into Hodeidah port, which, under the blockade, have been waiting to dock on average for over 100 days, leading to a crippling fuel shortage in the country, especially in the north of Yemen.

They've also agreed to opening the Sanaa airport, which has been closed for commercial flights since 2015, as well as opening roads in different parts of the country to facilitate a movement of civilian women, men and children.

And, of course, they're hoping that they will be able to agree and build a foundation for a longer-lasting peace agreement.

The images that we've seen in recent years of the suffering of people in that country have been just quite shocking. How dire is the situation right now?

Overall, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has risen since last year, from 20.7 million to 23.4 million. That's the equivalent of almost twice the population of Ontario in need of humanitarian aid, and it's around 80 per cent of the Yemeni population. So it's really quite a staggering number.

The conflict is, of course, the main driver of the humanitarian crisis. And as I mentioned earlier, the start of this year was particularly brutal. January saw the highest number of civilian casualties since records began in 2018, with almost one civilian killed or injured every hour. So the conflict has intensified this year, and it's really the Yemeni people who are bearing the brunt of it. 

And the needs are, of course, deepening. So the UN recently reported that around 31,000 people are facing famine-like conditions in Yemen. And by June of this year, that number will go up to 161,000 people at risk of famine-like conditions. So any de-escalation in the conflict right now is very timely and very much needed.

How challenging has it been for aid groups like yours to get help to so many people who need it so desperately?

The ability of Norwegian Refugee Council and other humanitarian aid actors to access communities is often impacted by the active conflict and insecurity. So a halt to the fighting can be significant in accessing some of the especially hard-to-reach communities that have been cut off from aid.

But the easing of the blockade on the entry of fuel into Hodeidah port will actually also be very significant, because even communities that are not cut off from humanitarian aid as a result of fighting are becoming harder to reach just because there is no fuel to fill vehicles, to reach them, to provide services or to deliver food or other essential items.

Likewise, community members are finding it harder and harder to arrive to distribution or other service delivery sites, like health centres or schools. And of course, the fuel shortage means it's harder to get foods and other goods to remote places, and prices therefore increase. So even food and goods that are available are further out of the reach of the average Yemeni person.

So the fuel crisis is really impacting everything, and lifting the blockade on the fuel will, I think, ease the situation significantly, making humanitarian aid much more accessible to those in need.

Should the ceasefire hold as agreed to, you have a two-month window to get help to as many people as you possibly can. What do you think groups like yours can accomplish in that period of time?

I think we can accomplish a lot.

Despite the many access challenges that we face, we already do have access and we do everything in our power to maintain access and to open up access to hard-to-reach communities.

We'll be continuing our hard work as usual, and also lobbying the international community to do everything in its power to support the parties to be successful in this truce.

Written by Sheena Goodyear with files from Reuters. Interview produced by Niza Lyapa Nondo. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.