UN Security Council urges restraint during Yemen truce

The UN Security Council on Friday urged all sides of the Yemen conflict to observe a Ramadan break in fighting brokered by the international body, appealing for parties to "avoid escalation."

The ceasefire is due to take hold just before midnight local time (2059 GMT) until the end of Ramadan on July 17.

In a unanimous statement, the 15-member UN council said it supported the unconditional pause and "further urged all sides to exercise restraint in cases of isolated violations and to avoid escalation."

"All parties will need to suspend military operations during the pause," the council said, and warned that "no party should take advantage of the pause to move weapons or seize territory."

The six-day pause will allow UN aid agencies to bring in desperately-needed food, water, fuel and other supplies to civilians on the verge of famine.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received assurances from exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and the Huthi rebels who are fighting his rule that they will respect the pause.

But the leader of Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels said Friday he was doubtful about break in hostilities would hold.

"We do not have much hope for the truce to succeed," said Abdulmalik al-Huthi in a televised statement on the rebel Al-Masirah channel.

Hadi has told the Saudi-led coalition -- which launched an air war three months ago to restore his authority -- that he supports the truce and says he has asked for a pause in the air strikes.

More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 percent of Yemen's population -- are in need of aid, with 13 million facing food shortages.

The United Nations last week declared a level-3 humanitarian emergency in Yemen, the highest on its scale, with nearly half of the country's regions facing a food crisis.
Source: AFP