Yemen's Houthi rebels say pursuing 'permanent ceasefire'

Yemen's Houthi rebels are pursuing a "permanent ceasefire", a spokesman said on Saturday, after years of deadly war in the country.

"We are working to reach a point of clarity in Yemen, in which we move into either a truce or permanent ceasefire, and we have presented our point of view to the Omani mediator," Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdel Salam told the rebels' Almasirah TV station.

"Any solution to Yemen's crisis must be based on the disbursement of [government] employees' salaries from oil and gas revenues according to the 2014 budget," said Abdel Salam, the militant group's chief negotiator, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.

He said a solution would also require the opening of ports, airports and roads, plus the "release of all prisoners".

It would also have to mean "fully addressing" humanitarian issues, he said.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa, the country's capital, from the internationally recognised government.

The year after, a Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict to support the government.

Both sides have been accused of grave violations by rights groups, and the situation in Yemen is considered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Abdel Salem, the Houthi spokesperson, urged a "quick end to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen".

He also said there should be a "solution to the humanitarian side, away from the military and political side".

The perpetual suffering of Yemen's children⬇

✍ A Yemeni journalist https://t.co/T7LijuTcXi

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) December 26, 2022

A truce was in force in Yemen for six months last year, but this expired in October.

The Houthis and the government blame each other for the collapse of the agreement, which the UN is seeking to renew.

On Thursday, a commission monitoring rights violations in Yemen said at least 447 civilians were killed in the country since the start of 2022, with all parties involved in the conflict being complicit. The figures are difficult to verify.

The National Commission to Investigate Alleged Violations to Human Rights said the number of civilians killed between January and December included 82 children and 35 women.