With no new rounds of UN-sponsored peace talks since, Yemen’s grassroots peace initiatives are rekindling hopes for further breakthroughs beyond road openings and prisoner swaps.
Activists credit local mediators with playing a pivotal role in easing the Houthi rebels-imposed siege on Taiz by reopening the key road linking the city center to the eastern suburb of Al-Hawban — a move widely seen as a humanitarian relief.
The momentum of these local efforts continued with the reopening of a major route connecting the southern port city of Aden to Houthi rebels-held areas through the provinces of Al-Dhale and Ibb, restoring a vital commercial and civilian artery.
Local mediators are now pushing the Houthi rebels to reopen Al-Fakher road in Al-Dhale province, which leads to the neighboring city of Ibb.
They are also working to reopen a vital route linking Abyan and Al-Bayda provinces through the mountainous Thura Pass — a road that would cut travel time between the two regions by half.
The UN has expressed support for these local initiatives aimed at restoring road links across a country fractured by nearly a decade of conflict.
Grundberg’s office said it recently dispatched a delegation to Al-Dhale, where officials met with government representatives and security leaders to discuss the latest proposal to reopen the main route connecting the capital Sanaa with the southern port city of Aden via Al-Dhale.