Taez (Yemen) (AFP) April 25, 2015- Fierce fighting raged Saturday in south Yemen between Iran-backed rebels and loyalists of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, as pressure mounted for the warring factions to hold political talks.
Fresh clashes left at least 27 people dead on Saturday in towns in the south of the impoverished country, strategically located next to oil-rich Saudi Arabia and key shipping routes.
Former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, who still holds sway over army units allied with the Shiite rebels, late on Friday urged the Huthis to heed UN demands to withdraw from territory they have seized.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also called on the anti-government forces to enter into political dialogue to end a conflict that the UN says has killed more than 1,000 people since late March.
“This has to be a two-way street,” Kerry told reporters, adding: “We need the Huthi and we need those that can influence them to make sure that they are prepared to try to move… to the negotiating table.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has announced plans to appoint Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed as his new envoy to Yemen after the previous pointman lost the confidence of Gulf countries.
The appointment becomes official on Monday if no objections are raised by the 15-member council.
A US aircraft carrier headed to Yemeni waters earlier this week to monitor an Iranian convoy that had raised suspicions but redeployed on Friday after the convoy turned back, Pentagon officials said.
At least four pro-Hadi fighters and six Huthi rebels were killed Saturday in dawn fighting in the town of Daleh, north of Aden, an official said.
Eight more rebels were killed in an ambush.