Fighting rages again after Yemen ceasefire ends

As the 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen came to an end, heavy fighting between the warring parties restarted. The capital Sana’a was bombarded with airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

The city of Hudaydah, which is enduring one of the worst humanitarian crises in Yemen as a result of the war, has also been targeted by Saudi airstrikes, along with Houthi positions in the besieged city of Taiz.

Pro-Houthi TV channel Al-Masirah reported pro-Houthi fighters had launched an artillery attack on government forces near Taiz. The airstrikes occurred hours before the UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived in Sana’a. Speaking to reporters at Sana’a airport, Ahmed said he is planning to discuss options for a political solution with Houthi representatives and try to secure another ceasefire.

All sides have refused to abide by the ceasefire which began midnight on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the government army Chief of Staff, Mohammed Ali Al-Miqdashi, criticised the Houthis for violating the ceasefire. “The [Houthi] coup militias deliberately thwarted the truce and that further convinced our military and political leadership of their unwillingness to accept a peace,” he said.

Yemen has been locked in a bitter battle between Shia Houthi fighters allied with forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh and government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, along with local tribes and resistance forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes.