Yemen’s UN-sponsored peace talks suspended after ceasefire violation

“We waited for them and they did not show up”, said a member of the delegation representing Yemen’s government at the UN-sponsored talks in the small northwestern town of Magglingen.

Mohammed Abdelsalam, the head of the Houthi delegation, said that the group had not boycotted any session of talks on Friday but had given the United Nations a letter detailing “violations” of the ceasefire.

Battles between the pro-government forces and the Houthi militants continued in the provinces of Taiz, Baidha and Marib, a day after the collapse of a ceasefire which kicked off alongside peace talks on Tuesday.

Saudi state news agency SPA cited the Saudi-led coalition of mainly Gulf Arab states as saying two missiles had been fired from Yemen towards Saudi Arabia in the latest fighting.

Peace talks in Switzerland resume after interruption caused by capture of Hazm by troops loyal to President Hadi.

The Houthis say they are ready to free the prisoners once a permanent ceasefire is agreed, another source close to the talks told Reuters.

Around 1,000 soldiers were involved in that operation, a Yemeni military official said, before adding that “intensive fighting took place in Harad”.

A source within the rebel delegation, which represents both the Iran-backed Huthi Shiite rebels and renegade troops still loyal to wealthy ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, told AFP the delegation had not agreed on all the points discussed.

In 2014, the Huthis advanced from their northern strongholds before occupying government buildings in Sanaa in September that year and forcing Hadi into exile in Saudi Arabia months later.

Yesterday, loyalists seized Hazm, capital of Jawf province, to the northeast of Sanaa.

Clashes have been frequent along Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia, where rebel strikes have killed more than 80 people since the coalition campaign against the Houthis and their allies began in March.

“He urges all parties to respect this agreement and allow unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the most affected districts of Yemen”, the statement said.

The UN said issues on the agenda at the talks in Switzerland over the coming days would include developing a plan for a sustainable ceasefire and further prisoner releases.

More than 5,800 people have been killed in Yemen – about half of them civilians – and more than 27,000 wounded since March, according to the UN.