Saudi-led coalition delays truce with Houthi rebels

SANAA // The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government said Monday that a planned truce with the Houthi rebels has been postponed for 12 hours.

The official Saudi news agency announced the postponement late Monday, saying coalition forces will halt fire at noon (0900 GMT, 1pm UAE) Tuesday. The ceasefire was originally scheduled to start at midnight Monday.

The statement did not provide further details about the reason for the postponement. Rebel leaders could not immediately be reached for comment.

The warring sides had agreed to a week-long ceasefire to coincide with peace talks in Switzerland scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Previous truces and UN-brokered talks to end the violence have failed, as the government insisted the Houthis honour a UN resolution that obliges them to give up arms seized from the state and withdraw from territory they had captured over the past year, including the capital, Sanaa. The Houthis, however, have demanded negotiations over the Yemen’s political future.

Yesterday, ground fighting and coalition air strikes continued across the country, killing at least 34 people, including 10 civilians, according to security and medical officials. The officials, who have remained neutral in Yemen’s civil war, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters.

Among the dead were two senior coalition officials from Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Taez province. * Associated Press