Saudi-Led Attacks on Yemen Intensify

The Riyadh-led alliance has intensified its attacks on various fronts and the truce violations are continuing, Houthi said, according to the Arabic-language al-Masirah TV. 

“The air blockade and sanctions, the non-payment of salaries and delay in releasing the prisoners are still ongoing,” he said.

“Is the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, aware of this?” he asked.

“We are committed to the Sweden agreement and the UN and its envoy should pressure the other side to implement this agreement and avoid dual policies,” the Houthi leader said.

Back in December, the United Nations brokered the truce deal as part of confidence-building measures at peace talks in Sweden to avert a full-scale assault on the port that is vital for urgent aid supplies for millions facing starvation.

The two sides had also agreed on a prisoner swap. A Red Cross official said in Geneva they had exchanged lists of a total of 16,000 people believed to be detained.

Hudaydah, the main port used to feed Yemen’s 30 million people, has been the focus of fighting recently, raising fears abroad that a full-scale assault could cut off supplies to nearly 16 million people suffering from severe hunger.

The truce, the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts in five years, was meant to pave the way for a wider ceasefire in the impoverished country and the second round of talks in January on a framework for political negotiations.

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