Fresh clashes in Yemen claim 55 lives
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Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters sit in the back of heavily armed vehicle during a gathering in the capital Sana’a
Fresh clashes between Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters and militants loyal to resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, have claimed dozens of lives from both sides.
Security and health officials said Sunday that 55 people were killed and 70 more injured in two days of intense fighting in three provinces of Ta’izz, Bayda in the south, and Ma’rib in northern Yemen.
The confrontations between the two sides have been the most intense clashes since the Ansarullah movement and its allies began talks with representatives of Hadi in Kuwait back in April.
The talks were preceded by a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations, but sporadic clashes have continued between the two sides.
Saudi Arabia, which supports Hadi, has also continued its deadly air strikes against the Ansarullah and the revolutionary forces despite repeated warning by the UN that the campaign could undermine the peace initiative.
UN sources said Sunday that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was to hold a joint meeting with Ansarullah and Hadi representatives later in the day. The UN chief arrived in Kuwait on Saturday with the aim of pushing forward the talks that have made almost no headway over the past months.
A UN spokesman said Ban will also meet the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah as well as other senior officials of the Persian Gulf country to seek their mediation between the Yemeni sides.
EA
