Houthi mortar attack hits Taiz amid UN-brokered truce

Several artillery shells fired by the Houthis hit the city of Taiz in Yemen on Tuesday, as international mediators, envoys and aid organizations intensified their efforts to convince the two sides to renew a UN-brokered truce.

Residents and officials in Taiz said several explosions, caused by Houthi artillery, rocked eastern parts of the city. The attack is the latest in a series of violations of the UN-brokered truce, according to Yemeni officials.

The Houthis have been in control of the outskirts of Taiz for seven years and have imposed a choking siege that has pushed thousands of people into famine.

As part of the truce, discussions between the Yemeni government and the Houthis in Amman about the opening of roads in Taiz have so far failed to produce any results.

During the past seven days, people in Taiz have intensified their protests and campaigns to draw attention to the effects of the siege and put pressure on the Yemeni negotiators in Amman to end it.

The two-month truce, which came into effect on April 2, led to a significant reduction in fighting and fatalities, the resumption of commercial flights from Sanaa, and at least 12 ships carrying fuel have been able to enter Hodeidah.

The latest Houthi mortar attack on Taiz came as the UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, Western diplomats and aid organizations stepped up the pressure on the Yemeni government and the Houthis to renew the truce.