Sana’a: The spokesman for Yemen’s exiled government says it has informed the United Nations that a truce to halt more than three months of fighting would hold if guarantees are in place to ensure Al Houthi militants withdraw from major cities and release prisoners - demands the militants have rejected.
Al Houthi leader Saifallah Al Shami told The Associated Press late Wednesday those conditions are “unacceptable” because they don’t address the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Despite the disagreements, Al Shami says the UN-sponsored talks that began Sunday are continuing in the capital, Sana’a.
Government spokesman Rajeh Badi says any truce should be observed by the UN.
Meanwhile, Al Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that the UN envoy to Yemen said an agreement on a humanitarian ceasefire is expected to be announced within 24 hours.
The envoy, Esmail Ould Shaikh Ahmad, has held talks with officials from the exiled government of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Al Houthis in Sana’a, trying to end more than three months of fighting. More than 3,000 people have been killed since March, when a Saudi-led and US-backed coalition began launching air strikes against Al Houthis and their allies.
