Clashes rage as peace call grows in Yemen
Fierce fighting raged yesterday in south Yemen between Iran-backed rebels and loyalists of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, as pressure mounted for the warring factions to hold political talks.
The Huthi rebels, who have overrun large parts of the country and forced Hadi to flee overseas, have demanded a complete end to a month of Saudi-led air strikes against them as a condition for UN-sponsored talks.
Clashes left at least 90 people dead yesterday in towns in the south of the impoverished country, strategically located next to oil-rich Saudi Arabia and key shipping routes.
Former strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, who still holds sway over army units allied with the Shia rebels, late on Friday urged the Huthis to heed UN demands to withdraw from territory they have seized.
US Secretary of State John Kerry also called on the anti-government forces to enter into political dialogue to end a conflict.
Meanwhile, a flotilla of nine Iranian naval and cargo ships that US officials feared was carrying arms to strife-torn Yemen sailed northeast in the direction of Iran on Friday, and this should ease US concerns, a Pentagon spokesman said.
The US Navy sent the USS Theodore Roosevelt and an escort warship into the Arabian Sea earlier this week to support seven US warships already in the area around the Gulf of Aden because of concerns about worsening chaos in Yemen.
The UN says millions have been affected by the conflict and are struggling to access healthcare, water, food and fuel. It estimates that at least 551 of those killed since late March were civilians and included at least 115 children.
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