UN envoy urges extension of Yemen humanitarian truce

SANAA — A UN envoy called for an extension of a five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen which expired late Sunday as the Houthi Shiite rebels boycotted political talks in Riyadh.

The appeal followed clashes between rebels and pro-government forces across south Yemen on Saturday despite the truce, which has largely held since it began at 11pm (2000 GMT) Tuesday.

"I call on all parties to renew their commitment to this truce for five more days at least," UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed said in the Saudi capital.

"This humanitarian truce should turn into a permanent ceasefire."

Aid groups have also called for a lasting truce in the impoverished country, where a Saudi-led regional coalition has waged an air war on Iran-backed Houthis and their allies since late March.

Yemeni political parties began talks Sunday in the Saudi capital aimed at finding a solution to the crisis.

But the Houthis stayed away from the meeting of about 400 delegates including President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has taken refuge in Riyadh.

Hadi repeated accusations that the rebels had staged a "coup".

"We are trying to regain our nation" from militias backed by "external" forces, he said in a reference to Iran, which has denied arming the rebels.

An Iranian aid ship bound for Yemen in defiance of US warnings has entered the Gulf of Aden and is expected to dock on Thursday, media in Tehran reported.

Its mission has been overshadowed by US calls for it to head to a UN emergency relief hub in Djibouti instead of the Yemeni Port of Hodeida.

Medics flee Aden

Clashes raged overnight Saturday in the central city of Taez between rebels — supported by troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh — and pro-Hadi forces.

The rebels, who seized Sanaa in September and have since swept across many other regions, bombed a village south of Taez city, killing 14 civilians, a local official said.

Sporadic clashes also continued in Aden, which has been the scene of fierce fighting since rebels advanced on the southern port in late March after Hadi took refuge there.

Aden health chief Al Khader Laswar said that 517 civilians and pro-Hadi fighters have been killed there in the past 50 days. 

The toll includes 76 women and children, he said.

Quoted by the government news agency Sabanew.net, Laswar said he could not provide a toll for the rebels who do not take their casualties to the city’s hospitals.

He added that 3,461 people were wounded, and said most Aden hospitals were currently out of service as “most” medics have fled.

The United Nations has expressed deep concern about the civilian death toll from the Saudi-led bombing as well as the humanitarian impact of an air and sea blockade imposed by the coalition.

It says more than 1,600 people have died in the conflict since late March.

Some aid has trickled into Yemen since the pause in fighting, but residents of areas where clashes persist complain they remain without the most basic supplies.

UNICEF said in a statement it was “distributing critical humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands of children and affected civilians across Yemen”.

“In the past four days of the pause, UNICEF has prepositioned supplies in health offices and centres which will provide primary health care to over 24,000 people and treat 3,500 severely malnourished children,” it said.

But in the south, “distribution and services have been slow as a result of the continuing violence”.

Sanaa residents echoed calls for a ceasefire extension.

“We don’t care about food or water as much as we need security. We hope that this truce becomes permanent,” said Um Hisham.

But in the southern city of Daleh, people said the rebels exploited the lull.

“The Houthi militia exploited the ceasefire to bomb citizens... We want coalition forces to resume attacks on these militia,” said Ali Al Assmar. 

“We are not benefiting from the truce. The humanitarian aid for Daleh was confiscated by Houthis and Saleh forces,” he said.

The Houthis are boycotting the three-day meeting in Riyadh, insisting on holding the talks in Yemen.

Yemen’s Vice President Khaled Bahah told AFP that, despite their absence on Sunday, he expected the Houthis would attend future talks.

“They have chosen to be out of this conference but, at the end, they will be coming,” he said.

Several representatives of Saleh’s General People’s Congress Party did attend, however.