UN urges 'humanitarian' truce in Yemen’s Ta'izz

The United Nations has called for a humanitarian truce in Yemen’s southwestern province of Ta'izz as heavy fighting continues in the embattled region.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Jamie McGoldrick on Wednesday expressed alarm at increasing bloodshed in Ta'izz province, particularly the al-Sarari area, and urged all warring sides to agree immediately to a "humanitarian pause" to protect civilians.

He also called for cooperation with humanitarian agencies to help treat and evacuate the wounded and deliver much-needed medicine to the embattled region.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, control most of Ta'izz, the third largest city in the impoverished Arab country. The city has an estimated pre-war population of 300,000 people.

According to reports, forces loyal to Hadi fired several rockets at Sarari homes overnight.

In a letter to the UN, a Ansarullah official of a ceasefire committee assigned to oversee a fragile truce in Ta'izz said Sarari residents had been subjected to "war crimes" such as house burning and the detention of 49 civilians, including women and children.

"We call on you to swiftly intervene to stop these gangs and limit the massacres they have begun to commit against unarmed civilians," Ahmed al-Msawa said in the letter, Reuters reported.

However, pro-Hadi forces have denied setting fires to houses.

SS