UN urges respect for Yemen's fragile ceasefire

The United Nations today appealed on all sides in the Yemen conflict to respect a fragile five-day truce in the country in a bid to boost the delivery of sorely-needed aid.
The plea made by the UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed, came as Saudi-led forces accused Shiite rebels of violating the truce on today, two days after it took effect.
But the coalition of Saudi-led forces said it will abide by the ceasefire, and stick to its decision to halt weeks of air strikes on Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
The UN envoy said in a statement he was "very worried about violations of the truce", urging all sides to "strictly respect a cessation of military operations... To allow the flow of aid".

Wrapping up his first visit to Yemen, he urged all sides involved in the conflict to spare airports, ports and any other infrastructure necessary for the smooth delivery of aid to the embattled population.
The humanitarian pause that began late Tuesday is the first break in the air war the coalition launched on March 26 in support of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, and has backing from Washington.

A coalition statement said Huthi rebels had violated the truce 12 times, including with artillery and rocket attacks in several towns in southern Yemen.
Despite the alleged violations, the coalition pledged "its full commitment to the humanitarian truce and restraint".

Residents said calm prevailed across most of the country except in the cities of Taez, Daleh and oil-rich Marib, where they reported intermittent exchanges of fire between rebel and pro-Hadi forces.
The Huthis and their allies have pledged to abide by the ceasefire while Saudi Arabia has warned it will punish any attempt to exploit the truce.