A 72-hour truce in conflict ravaged Yemen is set to begin on Thursday, the UN special envoy has announced. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he has received assurances from all Yemeni parties for such a move. Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s forces have been fighting Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa.
Mr Ahmed’s announcement follows international alarm over the deaths of 140 people in a Saudi airstrike which hit a funeral gathering in Sanaa. Mr Ahmed said this will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance.
Earlier, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi said that President Hadi has agreed to the 72-hour truce. But the minister stressed that any ceasefire must also feature a promise by the rebels to end the siege of Taez, Yemen’s third-city.