After Assad’s Fall, Is Yemen’s Peace Roadmap Still Viable Anymore?
Introduction A year ago, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg announced a peace roadmap that would end Yemen’s decade-long civil war. The roadmap aims to transform the current informal truce into a permanent nation-wide ceasefire. It includes a number of confidence-building steps, such as payment of public sector salaries, resumption of oil exports, reopening of all roads and crossings, and lifting of restrictions on Sana’a Airport and Hodeidah Port. The implementation of this roadmap was set to take place over a three-year period. However, one year has passed, and very little progress has been made except in the partial opening of roads in Taiz and Marib, limited prisoner exchange deals, and easing restrictions on Yemeni ports. Even though the roadmap was announced after the eruption of hostilities in Gaza, many believe this ongoing regional war has halted the implementation of the peace roadmap. The Gaza war has indeed diverted attention from the Yemeni conflict,...