Yemenis between hope and despair after latest ceasefire

A fragile two-month truce brokered by the United Nations in war-torn Yemen has given people just a glimmer of hope as they continue to struggle for survival.

Many fear the latest ceasefire in the seven-year-old conflict, coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, will only silence the guns temporarily.

"With the truce, the situation might get better," said Maha Hmeid, 44, a teacher in the western port city of Hodeida.

"But it will be slow, and if it fails then our last hope is over," she added, calling the humanitarian situation "frightening and disastrous".

Mujahid Salah, 43, who lives in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, was more sombre, telling AFP that "I think this truce, like the ones before it, will fail, and the first ones to lose in this case will be the Yemeni citizens".

Yemen, long the poorest country in the Arab world, has also been battered by what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 80 percent of the country's 30 million people now dependent on aid.

The war between the government, supported by a Saudi-led military coalition, and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

Many people have been disappointed over and over again, with numerous previous ceasefires failing to hold for long and civilians almost always caught in the crossfire.

The latest UN-brokered truce went into effect Saturday, with the possibility for an extension beyond the two months -- but three days later the warring parties had already traded accusations of ceasefire violations.

Salah argued that if the most pressing needs of the long-suffering people -- such as payment of wages amid soaring inflation -- are not met, then "what is the point?"

- 'Truce seems fragile' -

The truce called for a halt to all ground, air and sea military operations, and stipulated that two commercial flights a week resume in and out of Sanaa, and 18 fuel ships be allowed into the Huthi-held lifeline port of Hodeida.

Taher Jundi, another Sanaa resident, argued that the latest truce helps mostly the Huthis, who control much of the import-dependent country's mountainous north and parts of the west.

"The Yemeni people will not benefit from it," the 53-year-old told AFP. "The first ones to benefit are the Huthis, opening Sanaa airport and Hodeida port for them and their trade."

He added that "this truce is being seen as a time of rest for the Huthi fighters so they can catch their breath".

"The war will return after the truce, or even before its expiration, more intensely than before."

Although the combatants have reported no major violations since the truce started Saturday, they had accused each other of minor "breaches" by Tuesday.

Yemen's foreign minister, Ahmed bin Mubarak, listed various problems on Twitter.

"The truce has been greatly welcomed, but it is threatened by Huthi's breaches including military deployments, mobilisation of troops & vehicles, artillery and drone strikes," he wrote.

While the insurgents did not directly respond to the claims, their media channels also reported alleged "breaches", but by pro-government troops, on Sunday and Monday.

Hodeida resident Safa Mohammed, a 21-year-old interior design student, said that "I don't trust either side. This truce seems fragile."

After so much suffering, she said that "even those who are pessimistic hope that the truce will hold", with the warring parties refraining from new violence.

"We are tired, and we wish that they could feel what we are going through."