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Yemen FM blames Houthis for end of humanitarian cease-fire

Xinhua, May 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Yemeni foreign minister on Monday blamed violations by Houthi rebels for an end to a five-day cease-fire in Yemen, Al Arabiya News reported.

Riyadh Yaseen denied any ongoing negotiations to renew the cease-fire in the conflict-torn country, which expired late Sunday.

He said that the coming airstrike by a Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis will avoid airports and main ports to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to Yemenis.

On Sunday, United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, called for an extension of the humanitarian cease-fire.

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

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 Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was forced to flee the country.

The death toll from the battles between Houthis and Hadi supporters, and 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