Yemen fighting rages ahead of ceasefire

Fighting between warring factions near the Red Sea port of Hodeida — the gateway for most of Yemen's food aid — has killed at least 12 people and wounded 25 from both sides, according to the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing a pro-government military source, put a higher figure on the death toll. It said at least 29 fighters, including 22 Houthi rebels and seven pro-government troops, were killed.

Yemeni officials said the fighting lasted from Saturday night until Sunday afternoon. They were accompanied by overnight airstrikes on the city's outskirts, according to residents. 

Read more: Yemen clashes threaten ceasefire 

Timely truce 

Sunday's violence follows a ceasefire deal brokered on Thursday after week of peace talks in Sweden, which was seen as the most significant step to date in ending Yemen's civil war.

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The office of United Nations envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said that the UN was working with Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels to ensure the deal was "implemented timely and properly."

"The special envoy expects the two parties to respect their obligations as per the text and spirit of the Stockholm Agreement and to engage in the immediate implementation of its provisions," Griffiths' office tweeted on Sunday.

Delayed ceasefire

On Friday, Griffiths had warned that without monitors on the ground, the ceasefire could unravel quickly. 

"A robust and competent monitoring regime is not just essential; it is also urgently needed," he told the UN Security Council.

Read more: Yemen: the world's 'biggest humanitarian disaster'

Thursday's "immediate" truce was now expected to come into force on Tuesday, according to Yemeni officials cited by AP.       

Yemen's civil war, raging since 2014, has left 22 million of its 29 million people in need of aid, according to the UN.

kw/rc (AP, AFP)

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