'Dead end': Yemen's Houthi rebels call time on truce with Saudi-led coalition

Yemen's Houthi rebels have said their six-month-long truce with the Saudi-led coalition is at a "dead end" as foreign powers urged the warring parties to try to save the deal, which expires Sunday.

The Iran-backed rebels said in a statement that the coalition had fallen short on commitments to "ease the suffering of the Yemeni people".

"Over the past six months, we haven't seen any serious willingness to address humanitarian issues as a top priority," the statement read.

Yemen’s brutal civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government to power.

The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and over the years turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which backs the government, and Iran, which supports the Houthis. More than 150,000 people have been killed, including over 14,500 civilians.

The Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition signed the UN-mediated truce, meant to last two months, in April. The truce was renewed twice, for two months at a time.

Though the truce largely brought an end to armed clashes, each side has said that the other has failed to live up to commitments, particularly around humanitarian measures.

US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin said Saturday that he was "concerned about the lack of progress" made to secure the truce.

"I call on the parties not to squander the progress of the last six months and to prioritise the Yemeni people by accepting an extension of the truce," Fagin said on Twitter.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Saturday with Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss the truce's expiration.

"The Secretary welcomed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to extending the truce," the State Department said in a statement after their call.

The UN on Saturday urged the warring parties to not only renew but extend the truce.

(The New Arab, Reuters)