UNITED NATIONS, January 24 (Sputnik) – Amid the political turmoil in Yemen, a UN envoy to the country has met with the recently-resigned President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Houthi rebels, urging both parties to start talks and resolve the crisis situation.
"Today, 23 January, the Special Adviser of the [UN] Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, met with President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and Houthi representatives," the United Nations said in a statement Friday.
Benomar will meet with different political groupings in Yemen in the coming days, encouraging them to hold talks, the UN statement said.
Yemen's president submitted his resignation Thursday, an hour after the country's cabinet offered its resignation following clashes with Shia Houthi rebels, who had seized control of the presidential palace in the capital Sanaa.
Confrontations in Yemen started last Saturday, following the abduction of the president's chief of staff and two of his guards by the rebels.
The Houthis, the main opposition force in Yemen, have been carrying out protests in the country since mid-August, demanding the resignation of the Yemeni government. Houthi militias have taken over many Yemeni cities, including parts of Sanaa. The fighters claim their actions are aimed at protecting civilians from terrorism and discrimination by the government.
