UN envoy asks for Yemen cease-fire extension

Published October 22, 2016

The U.N. special envoy for Yemen is urging the warring parties in the Arab country to extend a temporary cease-fire for at least another 72 hours.

Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the current 72-hour truce expiring at 11:59 p.m. local time Saturday "was largely holding despite reported violations from both sides in several areas."

He said the cease-fire has enabled U.N. personnel to provide food and humanitarian supplies to several areas that were previously inaccessible.

The war in Yemen began in 2014 when Shiite rebels known as Houthis based in the north seized the capital, Sanaa and later swept across much of the poor Arabian Peninsula country.

In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies launched a campaign of airstrikes against the rebels.

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