Yemen govt orders armed forces to raise combat readiness

Sanaa: Yemen’s internationally-recognized government has ordered its armed forces to raise combat readiness for the major changes in the war-torn Arab country in the upcoming days.

The government on Monday also ordered “all the pro-government military and security units” to “prepare for fully restoring state institutions from the grip of the Houthi militia”, Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement released following a meeting held in the southern port city of Aden as saying.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Maeen Abdul-Malik said his government is keen to extend and expand the UN-brokered truce and supports the proposal submitted by the UN envoy to Yemen.

Earlier in the month, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced that no agreement had been reached to renew the truce between warring parties, calling for continued efforts toward the aim.

The ceasefire went into force on April 2 and was later renewed twice through October 2.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.