Saudi-led coalition sets 48 hour ceasefire in war ravaged Yemen

Published November 19th, 2016 - 02:00 GMT
More than 1,500 people have been killed since mid-March in coalition attacks and fighting between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists. (AFP/File)
More than 1,500 people have been killed since mid-March in coalition attacks and fighting between the Houthis and Hadi loyalists. (AFP/File)

The Saudi-led military coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen has announced a 48-hour truce, the official Saudi Press Agency reported Saturday.

The ceasefire is to start on Saturday at 12:00 noon (0900 GMT).

It was called in response to a message from Yemeni President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi backing the truce "in response to United Nations and [other] international efforts to establish peace" in Yemen, a coalition statement said.

"The ceasefire will be automatically extended if the [rebel] Houthi militias and their allies comply with it," the alliance added.

There was no immediate comment from the rebels, who have been locked in a devastating power struggle with Hadi for more than two years.

Rebels early Saturday attacked pro-government forces in the Temeni province of Jawf near the Saudi border, pro-Houthi broadcaster al-Masirah reported.

The shelling and rocket fire left an unknown number of pro-government fighters dead and injured, the report said.

Saturday's truce is the latest in a series of ceasefires that have failed to hold in the war-ravaged county.

At least 4,125 civilians have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition started an air campaign there in March 2015 until early October, according to the United Nations.

Millions more are suffering serious food and water shortages in Yemen.

A cholera outbreak has also been confirmed in the rebel-held capital Sana'a.

Saudi Arabia fears that Yemen's rebels will give its regional rival, Iran, a strategic foothold on the Arabian Peninsula.

By Thomas Cronenberg and Ramadan Al-Fatash