2nd LD Writethru: UN chief sees no military solution to conflict in Yemen

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday voiced his concern about the escalation of fighting on the ground and air strikes since the end of the humanitarian pause in Yemen, and reiterated "his firm belief that there is no military solution to the conflict."

The secretary-general expressed his concern when he was talking on the phone with Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansou, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Wednesday night.

During the talks, Ban recalled that he had asked his Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed "to redouble his efforts to consult with the Yemeni government, Yemen's political groupings and countries in the region with the aim of convening the Yemeni consultations in Geneva at the earliest possible opportunity," Dujarric said.

The Saudi-led coalition bombed military camps in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and targets in other cities on Wednesday, killing dozens of people, reports said.

The secretary-general "appreciated President Hadi's reaffirmation of his commitment to UN-brokered negotiations and full support for, and participation of his Government in, the Geneva consultations," the spokesman said in a readout to the press.

"The secretary-general hoped that the consultations could resume as soon as possible," he added.

Ban on Tuesday announced that the consultations in Geneva on Yemen has been postponed following a request from the Yemeni government and other key stakeholders for more time to prepare.

The UN plans to hold a conference in Geneva on May 28 that will involve Yemen's exiled government, political factions including the Houthi group and the Arab coalition to restore momentum toward a political transition process. Ban urged all Yemeni parties to engage in the talks without precondition.

The legitimate Yemeni government, headed by President Hadi who is in Saudi Arabia, expressed reluctance to attend the talks, saying the Houthis should first withdraw from the cities they occupied since last September and hand over weapons they took from the army.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led air campaign continued on Monday, hitting Houthi targets and military units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was accused of supporting the Houthis in capital Sanaa and several other cities in the country.

The airstrikes, as well as ground battles between the Houthis and Hadi's supporters, have so far killed more than 1,400 people, while more than 4,000 others were wounded across the crisis-ridden country, according to data released by the Yemeni government.

Earlier Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday warned that some 8.6 million people are in urgent need of medical assistance in Yemen, and the "unnecessary loss of innocent lives cannot go on."

WHO, in a statement issued here, spotlighted the increasingly dire medical situation in Yemen, where it says the health and lives of millions of people are at risk, and health facilities, staff and patients are under attack in widespread violations of international humanitarian law.

Saudi-led coalition air strikes targeting Shia rebels have resumed in the southern port city of Aden after the end of a five-day humanitarian ceasefire, reports said. The ceasefire expired at 11:00 p.m. on May 17 local time, and coalition air strikes hit rebel positions and tanks in several neighborhoods of Aden,

Since late March, Saudi Arabia has led air strikes against the Houthis and allied military units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The air campaign is aimed at weakening the Houthis and restoring Hadi, who fled the country in March in the face of a rebel advance.

The conflict in Yemen has killed more than 1,400 people -- many of them civilians -- since March 19, according to the UN. The Middle East country of some 25 million people has endured shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity as a result of a Saudi-led blockade.

Humanitarian organizations had been scrambling to distribute aid before the end of the truce. That includes an Iranian cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen.

Yemen has mired in political gridlock since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down.

The three-year reconciliation talks failed to resolve the crisis but create huge power vacuum that could benefit the powerful al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other extremist groups.

Yemen is the base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a powerful offshoot of the jihadist militant group that has carried out similar suicide attacks on Houthi supporters.

However, the terrorist Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIL or ISIS, is also gaining ground in the country. Endi