Saudi-led coalition resumes bombing on Yemen’s Houthis

Saudi-led alliance resumed its air raids against Yemen’s Shiite Houthi group in the southern port city of Aden shortly after a five-day truce expired late on Sunday, army sources said.

War planes of the coalition bombed the presidential compound, which is controlled by the Houthis, said the same source and eye-witnesses, Xinhua news agency reported.

The bombing came as the UN envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed urged all warring parties to extend the short humanitarian cease-fire.

“I call upon all parties to renew the truce for another five days at least,” Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in his speech during the opening session of a three-day Yemeni dialogue conference in Riyadh.

He said the truce should be turned into permanent cease-fire to end all acts of violence.

The truce, which is a Saudi initiative, began on Tuesday night to enable the UN to deliver humanitarian aid to Yemenis.

During the five-day truce, clashes between the Houthi fighters and forces still loyal to the exiled Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi continued as the both sides trade accusations of breaching the cease-fire.

On the last day of the temporary truce on Sunday, intense fighting in Yemen’s southern province of Taiz killed at least 20 people on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia, along with eight other Arab states, have been bombing the Houthi group and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26, aiming to reinstate the government of President Hadi, who was forced to flee the country.

A dialogue conference with participation of several Yemeni political parties, tribes, representatives of country’s parliament as well as envoys of regional and international organizations is due to kick off on Sunday in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh.

However, the Shiite Houthi group and leaders of the General People’s Congress party, led by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, refused to join the talks.

The bloody air strikes, as well as the ground battles between the Houthis and Hadi’s supporters, have so far killed more than 1, 400, while more than 4,000 people were wounded across the crisis-ridden country, according to data released by the Yemeni government.

–IANS