The last coordinated cessation of hostilities nationwide was during peace talks in 2016.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the truce, which he said has “fueled one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.”
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and has left millions on the brink of starvation.
On Friday, Guterres commended “the Government of Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis for agreeing on a two-month truce in Yemen, including cross-border attacks.”
The truce can be renewed past the two-month period with the consent of the parties, Grundberg added.
The foreign minister for Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government said Friday that he would be taking steps to release prisoners, open Sana’a airport and allow oil ships through Hodeidah port.
“We immediately announce the release of the first two fuel ships through the port of Hodeidah,” he added.
Guterres underlined the importance of the truce in his statement, saying: “For more than seven years, war has devastated the lives of millions of Yemeni women, children and men. It is difficult to imagine the extent of their suffering, which has mainly taken place far from the media spotlight. The war has fueled one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, brought state institutions to the verge of collapse, reversed human development by two decades, and threatened regional peace and security.
“Today must be the start of a better future for the people of Yemen,” he said.
