United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has voiced his disappointment over the failure to extend the ceasefire between Saudi-led forces and Iranian-allied Houthis in Yemen. The two opposing forces are reported to have blamed each other for the failure in renewing the truce.
U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq stated that the failure to renew the truce in the conflict-ridden country has saddened the Secretary General of the United Nations, who initiated requests in order to extend the initial five-day ceasefire, according to Channel News Asia.
"The secretary-general regrets that despite repeated calls by the United Nations, the five-day humanitarian pause in Yemen was not extended when it expired yesterday," he said.
The appeal for an extension of the ceasefire was initiated by the U.N. in order for badly-needed humanitarian supplies to reach the 25 million people in the country, which is widely considered as one of the poorest in the Middle East, according to Reuters.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Reyad Yassin Abdulla stated that despite the failure to extend the truce will not deter the United Nations in seeking aid for the conflict-torn country.
"That's what we said before - that if they start again, we will start again," he said.
He added that the coalition was not considering any new ceasefire as for the moment. It has, however, pledged not to target any air and sea ports that are needed in order to provide the populace with aid.
Saudi-led forces resumed the attack on the Houthis on Monday, by conducting three air strikes on Yemen's northern Saada province, according to Reuters. It was reported that Saudi forces had fired 70 rockets and artillery shells into north Yemen.
So far, there has been no word if there are any casualties in the attack.
