Inside Story

Will the Saudi-UAE-led coalition’s ceasefire hold in Yemen?

The Saudi-UAE-led coalition battling the Houthi rebels in Yemen begins a two-week truce due to coronavirus pandemic.

War-ravaged Yemen is one of the few places left on Earth without a coronavirus case.

But health workers worry it is only a matter of time before the country records the first infections.

An outbreak would add more misery to a country suffering from five years of fighting.

The conflict has destroyed hospitals, killed more than 100,000 people and pushed millions towards famine.

The coalition battling the Houthi rebels, being led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has now begun a unilateral ceasefire after an appeal from the United Nations to halt hostilities amid the coronavirus pandemic. How will the Houthis respond?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Sultana Begum – Advocacy Manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council

Hussain Al Bukhaiti – Houthi and Yemeni affairs commentator

Elisabeth Kendall – Senior research fellow at Pembroke College, University of Oxford