Sana’a, Oct. 4, (dpa/GNA) - Clashes erupted between government forces and Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday, after a UN-brokered nationwide ceasefire agreement expired.
The truce first took effect in April after it was agreed by the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led coalition supporting it, and their rivals, the Iran-backed Houthis.
The ceasefire has since been extended twice.
A government military source told dpa that clashes erupted at the southern and western fronts of the energy-rich province of Marib after Houthis attacked army posts.
Similar attacks took place in the southern Dhale province, before calm returned to the area, the source said.
In Taiz, a military spokesman said that Houthis attacked government forces within hours of the truce ending, according to the government-affiliated SABA news agency.
Aid organization Oxfam said “the end of the truce is terrible news,” and Care International said it was “an extremely sad occasion.”
The Houthis on Sunday rejected a UN proposal for a truce extension, saying it “does not lay the foundation” for peace.
The rebels also threatened to renew military attacks and target oil companies in Saudi Arabia and its ally, the United Arab Emirates.
UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said he had suggested to the warring sides a six-month truce extension, and regretted that no agreement had been reached.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia formed a military coalition backing the Yemeni government against the Houthis, who months earlier had seized the capital Sana’a and other areas in the impoverished country.
The UN considers Yemen’s conflict a humanitarian disaster that has pushed the country to the brink of famine.
GNA