SANAA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg arrived in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday to push the militia for truce renewal.
Grundberg was scheduled to hold meetings with Houthi leaders during the visit, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
The humanitarian issues, including paying salaries to the civil servants in the Houthi-held areas and releasing war prisoners between the Houthi group and the government, would top the discussions, according to the TV report.
The visit came amid international efforts to renew the truce in Yemen and pave the way for a political settlement.
On Jan. 5, Grundberg held a conversation with Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Council, in the Saudi capital Riyadh, over the extension of the truce, according to the Yemeni government media outlets.
In October 2022, the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia failed to extend a six-month national truce, raising concerns about the return of violent conflicts to the Arab country.
The civil war erupted in Yemen in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of some northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.
The war has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine. ■
