Islam Times - UN sets date for peace talks on Yemen as death toll soars

Islam Times - The United Nations has announced a new date for peace talks between Yemeni political factions and former regime officials.

The UN confirmed Saturday that the warring sides are to begin their peace talks, aimed at securing a ceasefire, and stepping up deliveries of humanitarian aid in the Swiss city of Geneva on June 14.

The UN said in a statement that all Yemenis parties are called on “to engage in these consultations in good faith and without pre-conditions in the interest of all Yemeni people.”

The session was initially scheduled for May 28, however, it was postponed after Yemen’s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, put a pre-condition and refused to attend the negotiating table.

The Peninsula country has been engulfed in turmoil since Saudi Arabia launched military strikes on March 26 without a UN mandate.

Ban also called for a renewed humanitarian pause, saying that “the suffering of the Yemeni population, as a result of the continued conflict is increasing dramatically”.

Meanwhile reports said that the Al Saud’s relentless aggression has left at least 140 people dead since June 3.

According to Yemeni media, the country’s forces backed by Ansarullah fighters carried out fresh attacks in retaliation to the Saudi aggression.

The forces targeted military bases near the southern city of Dhahran al-Janoub in the southwestern region of Asir.

They also fired more than a dozen rockets and missiles at the facilities of Saudi Arabian Oil Company Aramco in the southwestern city of Najran.

Over the past few weeks, Yemeni forces have intensified their retaliatory attacks against Saudi military bases and camps in border areas.

A naval blockade, imposed by the Saudis, has also led to serious shortage of food and water as well as medicines for the Yemenis.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 20 million civilians, 80 percent of Yemenis, are in need of humanitarian assistance. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien has described the situation “catastrophic.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross also appealed for an immediate truce to facilitate the delivery of medical supplies and other aid deliveries.