UN envoy to Yemen meets Houthi council chief in effort to renew truce

The UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has held talks with Mahdi Al Mashat, head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, aimed at extending the country's truce.

The pair met on Wednesday in the capital Sanaa and Mr Grundberg said they discussed a UN proposal to renew the ceasefire between the internationally recognized government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

The truce is set to expire on October 2 and extending it would “give Yemenis the opportunity to make progress on a wider basket of priorities", he said.

He has already held meetings with Saudi, Yemeni and Omani officials in Riyadh and Muscat this week as the deadline for renewing the truce approaches.

The truce has led to the longest lull in fighting in the war, which is now in its eighth year. Despite reports of breaches in the truce, the deal has brought relief to Yemenis who have suffered from a decade of political turmoil and military conflict.

Aside from direct fighting, landmines and other explosive remnants continue to kill civilians in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The UN said that in the past week at least 15 people, including children, were killed or wounded in the city. More than 100 have been killed and 141 wounded since November.