UN envoy appeals for extending Yemen ceasefire for another 72 hours

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has urged all parties to the Yemeni conflict to extend a three-day humanitarian ceasefire for another 72 hours.

The three-day truce brokered by the United Nations went into effect on Wednesday midnight with an aim to facilitate humanitarian aid to the war-stricken cities, reports Xinhua.

"The ceasefire was largely holding despite reported violations from both sides in several areas," said Ahmed in a statement on Saturday, adding that UN personnel were over the last days able to reach areas that were inaccessible to deliver food and aid.

"We would like to build on this and we aim for a wider outreach in the next few days," he added.

The situation in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015 when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former president Ali Abdullash Saleh and the government backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

The war has killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two million.