Yemen warring parties agree to reopen key road linking Bayda, Abyan

Warring factions in Yemen have agreed to reopen another major road in the country, a move that was widely welcomed by the public and praised by the United Nations’ top envoy to Yemen.

Local mediators calling themselves the “White Flag” told The New Arab that both the Houthis and the internationally recognised Yemeni government have agreed to reopen the Aqabat Thirah road, which links the Houthi-controlled northern province of Al-Bayda with the government-held southern province of Abyan, within the coming days. The road has been closed for nearly a decade.

This comes more than two weeks after the two sides reopened another vital route connecting the Houthi-held capital Sanaa with the southern port city of Aden, the base of the Yemeni government, through the province of Dhale, following successful mediation by the same local initiative.

“We hope that the road will be opened to small vehicles in the coming days,” Mahdi Al-Maljami, a member of the White Flag, said in a telephone interview.

Local officials in Abyan and the Houthis have reportedly agreed with the mediators to open the road daily from 6 am to 5 pm for light vehicles, following efforts to clear debris and fill in dangerous potholes.

Once more extensive repairs are complete, the road will be able to accommodate large trucks, mediators said, significantly reducing travel time between Al-Bayda and Abyan from several hours to under one hour.

Most main roads connecting Yemeni cities have been shut down since the war erupted more than a decade ago between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. 

Reopening these roads was part of the 2018 UN-brokered Stockholm Agreement between the two parties, a provision that has mostly gone unmet despite repeated UN pressure and public outcry from those forced to drive via perilous, unpaved diversions throughout Yemen.

The reopening of the Thirah road is the latest in a series of successful mediations organised by the White Flag initiative, which has managed to unlock other blocked routes across war-torn Yemen.

Early this month, a vital road linking Sanaa with Aden through Dhale was reopened after a decade of closure, reducing travel between the two cities from 16 hours to eight hours.

Images posted on social media have shown large covered multi-axle freight trucks with tarpaulin-covered trailers and long-distance passenger buses travelling through the Dhale road for the first time in years. Another route that was previously closed, connecting Sanaa to the central city of Marib, was reopened last year.

Al-Maljami said that their initiative accomplished in a brief period what international mediators or countries could not accomplish in a decade, adding that their group is made up of over 50 volunteers unaffiliated with any political party or organisation.

“We are not part of any political party or organisation. We are driven by a desire to please God and ease people’s suffering," he added.

Once the Thirah road is reopened, Al-Maljami said, the group plans to push for the reopening of yet another critical route, the road linking Dhale with the neighbouring province of Ibb through an area called Al-Kakher.

At the same time, residents who have long complained about the roads in Abyan, Dhale, and Al-Bayda have urged the reopening of remaining blocked routes.

Mohammed Muhayam, a journalist from Abyan province who has long advocated for the reopening of the Thirah road, told The New Arab that he is so pressed by the pursuit of his dream of reopening the road, saying that doing so would reconnect Abyan with the rest of Yemen. “Our joy at achieving this milestone is beyond words—it represents a shared celebration for all the people across the Yemeni governorates. I am filled with immense happiness,” Muhayam said.

The UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, who, along with his predecessors, has long advocated for the reopening of roads as part of broader peacebuilding efforts, welcomed the news of the roads' reopening and praised the role of local mediators.

“The lack of access due to closed roads across the country not only detrimentally affects Yemen’s economy, but it also splits families and communities. A return to freedom of movement of people and goods inside Yemen is a key element of conflict resolution,” UN Yemen envoy spokeswoman Ismini Palla told The New Arab.

"The locally led initiatives on road openings are very important. The UN is supporting and encouraging them, and stands ready to facilitate further openings," she said.

Palla added that the UN Yemen envoy calls for intensified efforts to ease restrictions on the movement of Yemenis throughout the country.

“The UN Special Envoy hopes that the parties and local actors sustain and expand these efforts. Opening roads is also a critical measure to build confidence across conflict lines and advance peace efforts. The UN Envoy and his office remain closely engaged on this matter and keep it central to the UN-led mediation process.”