Yemen: 11 civilians killed in rebel shelling of Taiz
11 civilians have been killed in rebel shelling of Yemen's Taiz, as diplomats say they are optimistic that peace talks to end the war will start this month.
3 min read
A rare tropical cyclone hit Yemen this week [Getty]
At least 11 civilians have been killed in "indiscriminate bombing" by rebels of Yemen's third city Taiz, as clashes with pro-government forces intensified, a military official said on Thursday.
The city in central Yemen has seen heavy fighting as forces loyal to exiled President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi clash with Houthi rebels.
The Houthis, and their allies among renegade troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdallah Saleh, control the outskirts of the city, which remains in loyalist hands.
"Indiscriminate bombing by Houthis and Saleh forces targeted residential areas" in the centre of Taiz late on Wednesday, a military official said.
As well as the 11 dead, at least 22 people were also wounded, the official said.
Medics confirmed the death toll, saying that the dead included at least one woman.
Clashes raged overnight on Wednesday on the outskirts of Taiz, military sources said. Rebels control the main roads leading into the city.
Backed by a Saudi-led coalition that launched air raids against the rebels in March, loyalist forces have been pressing to re-take parts of the country seized by the Houthis.
The Houthis, a minority from Yemen's north allegedly backed by Iran, seized control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in September last year and then advanced south, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia as they moved on the main southern city of Aden.
Backed by coalition strikes, supplies and troops, loyalist forces launched a major counter-offensive in July, pushing the rebels out of Aden and four other southern provinces.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been identified by the UN as one of the world's worst, with 80 percent of the country's population on the brink of famine.
Around 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict since March, more than half of them civilians, according to UN estimates.
Amid the dire humanitarian crisis, a rare tropical cyclone hit Yemen this week, triggering flash floods and wreaking havoc in provinces that are home to 1.1 million people.
Optimism over peace talks
The Saudi ambassador to the UN said on Wednesday he was optimistic that a new round of peace talks for Yemen will get off the ground this month after many weeks of preparation.
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been laying the groundwork for talks between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels.
"We are optimistic. We are hopeful that the talks will take place," Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi said at a meeting with leaders of the Yemeni community in the United States.
Mouallimi said Houthi rebels had sought to sidestep demands in a UN resolution that they withdraw from territory seized in their campaign, but that they had "recently backed down" and were ready to negotiate a pullback.
Yemen's Ambassador Khaled al-Yemany said the agenda for the peace talks should be finalized this week and that the UN envoy will travel to New York to announce the talks next week.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed recently said that he expected the new round to begin sometime between November 10 and 15.
Yemany said negotiations would focus on a gradual withdrawal from the capital Sanaa and other areas held by the Houthis.
"This is the picture that we have, and it's a positive picture," he said.
A UN bid to launch peace talks in June failed over demands for a Houthi withdrawal from seized territory, but this time, much effort has been put in ensuring there is agreement on the agenda.
The city in central Yemen has seen heavy fighting as forces loyal to exiled President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi clash with Houthi rebels.
The Houthis, and their allies among renegade troops loyal to ousted president Ali Abdallah Saleh, control the outskirts of the city, which remains in loyalist hands.
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| Taiz in central Yemen has seen heavy fighting [Getty] |
"Indiscriminate bombing by Houthis and Saleh forces targeted residential areas" in the centre of Taiz late on Wednesday, a military official said.
As well as the 11 dead, at least 22 people were also wounded, the official said.
Medics confirmed the death toll, saying that the dead included at least one woman.
Clashes raged overnight on Wednesday on the outskirts of Taiz, military sources said. Rebels control the main roads leading into the city.
Backed by a Saudi-led coalition that launched air raids against the rebels in March, loyalist forces have been pressing to re-take parts of the country seized by the Houthis.
The Houthis, a minority from Yemen's north allegedly backed by Iran, seized control of Yemen's capital Sanaa in September last year and then advanced south, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia as they moved on the main southern city of Aden.
Backed by coalition strikes, supplies and troops, loyalist forces launched a major counter-offensive in July, pushing the rebels out of Aden and four other southern provinces.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has been identified by the UN as one of the world's worst, with 80 percent of the country's population on the brink of famine.
Around 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict since March, more than half of them civilians, according to UN estimates.
Amid the dire humanitarian crisis, a rare tropical cyclone hit Yemen this week, triggering flash floods and wreaking havoc in provinces that are home to 1.1 million people.
Optimism over peace talks
The Saudi ambassador to the UN said on Wednesday he was optimistic that a new round of peace talks for Yemen will get off the ground this month after many weeks of preparation.
 |
We are optimistic. We are hopeful that the talks will take place - Abdallah al-Mouallimi, Saudi UN Ambassador |
"We are optimistic. We are hopeful that the talks will take place," Saudi Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi said at a meeting with leaders of the Yemeni community in the United States.
Mouallimi said Houthi rebels had sought to sidestep demands in a UN resolution that they withdraw from territory seized in their campaign, but that they had "recently backed down" and were ready to negotiate a pullback.
Yemen's Ambassador Khaled al-Yemany said the agenda for the peace talks should be finalized this week and that the UN envoy will travel to New York to announce the talks next week.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed recently said that he expected the new round to begin sometime between November 10 and 15.
Yemany said negotiations would focus on a gradual withdrawal from the capital Sanaa and other areas held by the Houthis.
"This is the picture that we have, and it's a positive picture," he said.
A UN bid to launch peace talks in June failed over demands for a Houthi withdrawal from seized territory, but this time, much effort has been put in ensuring there is agreement on the agenda.
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