Yemen negotiators to form ceasefire committee as United Nations peace talks resume

Tribesman supporting Yemen’s Saudi-backed president holds a posiition in the city of Taez, where seven civilians died on the first day of a ceasefire earlier this week.

He said dozens of renegade troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh and allied with the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels had been killed.

Truce violation was intensified Friday after Saudi Arabia, which seeks to reinstate Hadi, bombarded areas in northern Yemen and reportedly opened the southern borders to allow more pro-Hadi militants into the Yemeni territory.

Yemeni government forces were within 40 kilometres of the rebel-held capital on Saturday as they pressed their advance against Shia rebels in disregard of a UN-brokered ceasefire, military sources said.

Yemen rebels have said they will resume peace talks in Switzerland on Saturday after snubbing a meeting Friday to protest violations of a ceasefire on the ground, a member of the opposing government delegation said.

Pro-Hadi forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition were keeping up pressure in Nihm district, Sanaa province, after significant gains in Marib province, east of the capital.

Government forces are now heading west, toward the contiguous rebel strongholds of Amran and Saada provinces, which lie immediately to the north of the capital, Ukaymi said.

Yemeni negotiators at U.N.-sponsored peace talks agreed on Saturday to form a committee to oversee a fragile ceasefire but the day ended without further progress being amid strong mutual distrust, sources close to the talks told Reuters.

When asked about reports that the talks had faltered, United Nations spokesman Charbel Raji also told AFP “the peace talks are ongoing”.

More than 7,500 people have been killed and over 14,000 others injured since the strikes began in March.

Coalition officials said two ballistic missiles were launched on Friday from Yemen towards Saudi Arabia.

The casualties included 28 troops, according to military sources.

And Saudi Arabia’s border guard repeated a warning that residents should stay away from the frontier because of the missile fire, saying in SMS messages to citizens that violators can be jailed and fined.

“Pro-government forces took over the public compound, which consists of most of the government offices in the province and [the provincial headquarters] of all government institutions”, Mr Al Aswad said.