UN Secretary-General thanks Egypt's Sisi for allowing operation of direct flights between Cairo, Sanaa

CAIRO – 23 May 2022: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to express his gratitude to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for allowing the operation of direct flights between Cairo and Sanaa in the framework of the UN truce in Yemen, said Egypt’s Foreign Ministry in a statement on Monday.

Minister Shoukry affirmed that he will convey this message to President Al-Sisi, expressing his hope that this step would contribute to the stabilization of the UN truce in Yemen, alleviate the suffering of the brotherly Yemeni people, contribute to efforts aimed at establishing stability and security in Yemen, and support finding a sustainable settlement of the crisis there, expressing his best wishes for the brotherly Yemeni people.

In mid-April, Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak said that his country has coordinated with Egypt and Jordan to start flights through the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport.

“Based on its keenness 2 alleviate suffering of our people, GoY gave directives to technical authorities, since day one of #truce, to complete internal procedures to operate 2 flights a week to&from #Sanaa_Airport. Coordination has been made w/Egypt & Jordan to start the flights,” the Minister said on his official Twitter account.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi stepped on April 7, 2022 passing on his duties to a presidential council. He also dismissed his deputy to pave the way for the revival of negotiations that stalled for seven years, as reported by Reuters.

After Hadi, who is based in Riyadh, announced his decision, Saudi Arabia pledged a financial aid worth $3 billion to Yemen. It also called for the council, consisting of eight members, to hold talks with Houthis, who control the northern part of the country, and who carried out attacks against different facilities on Saudi territories.

On April 1, a nationwide two-month truce was agreed between the warring parties in Yemen, which would allow the entry of oil imports into Houthi strongholds and increasing flights from Sanaa airport.

U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg stated that the truce, which is the first of its kind since 2016, can be renewed, if there is congruence among the parties involved. It is noted that the truce began Saturday which marked the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The ceasefire is expected to relieve Yemenis from suffering for a while, as 80 percent of the population relies on aid amid a collapse of all necessary services, including healthcare.

The deal provides the suspension of all military operations, including cross-border ones, and permitting tankers transporting fuel into Houthi-held Hodeidah port as well as the landing and take-off of commercial flights at Sanaa International Airport "to predetermined destinations in the region," according to Reuters.

Additional reporting by Noha El Tawil