UN envoy urges cease-fire extension in Yemen

The United Nations special envoy to Yemen called on a Saudi-led coalition and the Yemeni political parties to extend a five-day cease-fire in Yemen due to expire later on Sunday, Al Arabiya News reported.

"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 humanitarian truce should be turned into permanent cease-fire to end all acts of violence.

The truce began on Tuesday night to enable the UN to deliver humanitarian aid to Yemenis.

For his part, Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi stressed that the conference is for all Yemenis without exception.

"We will get victory soon," he said, adding that the dedication to take back Yemen way from the violations of Houthis militias.

As many as 250 political figures from Yemen, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the UN are attending the conference. The Houthis and former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh boycotted the talks.

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 Hadi, who was forced to flee the country.

The death toll from the battles between Houthis and Hadi's supporters, as well as the airstrikes, have exceeded 1,200, while more than 3,000 people were wounded across the country, according to statistics released by the Yemeni government. Endit