Fierce clashes between rebels and pro-government forces killed dozens across south Yemen on Saturday, threatening to derail a humanitarian ceasefire drawn up to bring vital aid to the war-wracked country.
The five-day truce initiated by a Saudi-led coalition that has bombarded the Iran-backed rebels for more than six weeks expires late Sunday, and Riyadh has already warned it was “ready to act” against any ceasefire violations.
In the latest violence, at least 12 civilians were killed when the Shiite Huthi rebels shelled several neighborhoods in Yemen’s third city of Taez, an official there told AFP.
Fighting overnight killed 26 rebels — Huthis backed by militiamen loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh — as well as 14 pro-government forces, military sources said.
The United Nations has expressed deep concern about the civilian death toll from the Saudi-led bombing as well as the humanitarian impact of an air and sea blockade imposed by the coalition.
Some aid has begun to trickle into Yemen since the pause in fighting, but residents of areas where clashes persist complain they remain without the most basic supplies.
The fighting in Taez overnight forced many to flee to neighboring countryside.
“Humanitarian aid hasn’t reached Taez, where we haven’t received fuel, food or medical equipment,” the government official in the city said.
The UN Security Council hit the Houthis with the embargo after they captured the capital Sanaa and advanced on the southern city of Aden, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile.
The Houthis and their allies have pledged to honor the ceasefire while Saudi Arabia has warned it will punish any attempt to exploit the truce.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused the Houthis of repeatedly violating ceasefire terms.
“We are hoping that the Houthis will abide by the terms of the ceasefire and stop their aggressive behaviour if they want the ceasefire to hold,” he said during a US summit with Gulf allies this week.
But clashes had resumed in Aden by Saturday, an AFP correspondent said.
Heavy artillery, including tank shells, fell on the northern sector of the city, where rebels and Hadi loyalists continue to fight over territory, including a main road giving access to central Aden, military souces said.
West Aden was also hit by shelling, they added.
And in southern Dhaleh province, five Houthis were killed overnight when their convoy was ambushed, an official said.