Yemen's rebels demand dismissal of UN peace envoy

 Yemen's dominant rebel Houthi group called on the United Nations to play "an active role" in stopping the civil war, demanding not to renew the term of the UN peace envoy, according to a letter published by Houthi-controlled Saba news agency late on Friday.

In a letter sent to the UN Secretary General, the Houthi group demanded the UN to end the commercial air and sea blockade imposed by Saudi-led coalition and investigate the coalition's aerial bombardments on the last year funeral hall in the capital Sanaa and other civilian targets.

"We also demanded not to renew the term of the current UN peace envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, for his failing and lacking of impartiality during his mission," the letter quoted Houthi official Saleh al-Sammad as saying.

In December, the coalition-backed Yemeni government rejected a peace roadmap suggested by Ould Cheikh on forming a new sharing government with Houthi rebels and ending the two-year-old war.

The situation in Yemen has deteriorated economically and politically since March 2015, when the war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and the government backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

The ongoing ground battles and airstrikes have already killed more than 10,000 people, half of them civilians, injured more than 35,000 others and displaced over two millions, according to humanitarian agencies.

source: Xinhua