Yemen truce in effect: loyalist chief of staff

A UN-brokered truce began in Yemen at midnight yesterday, the loyalist military's chief of staff said ahead of new talks to reach a lasting peace deal for the war-wracked country.

"The ceasefire has taken effect and we are going to respect it... Unless the Huthi rebels violate it," General Mohamed Ali al-Makdashi told reporters.

A Saudi-led coalition has for more than a year been supporting the loyalist forces of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi against the Iran-backed Shiite Huthis who seized much of Yemen.