Mattis, Pompeo call for Yemen ceasefire within 30 days

Within 30 days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis want everyone involved in the Yemen civil war to agree to a ceasefire.

The war has left thousands dead and caused immense suffering, bringing a shortage of food, medication, and clean water in many areas. During an event Tuesday at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, Mattis said that everyone involved in the war — including the Saudi-led coalition, which supports the Yemeni government, and the Iranian-backed Houthis — must meet to "end this war." The U.S. has provided the coalition with some training and aerial refueling of warplanes. Mattis said the most important thing to do is "move toward a peace effort here, and you can't say we're going to do it sometime in the future."

Pompeo agreed, releasing a statement later in the day saying that missile strikes from Houthi-controlled areas and coalition airstrikes must stop in all populated spaces. "The United States calls on all parties to support U.N. Special Envoy Martin Griffiths in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen," he said. "Substantive consultations under the U.N. Special Envoy must commence this November in a third country."

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