Yemenis protest against Houthi violence in Taiz

TAIZ, Yemen (AA) - Hundreds of Yemenis on Tuesday participated in a rally in Taiz to condemn continued violence in the city, despite a truce.

Speaking at the rally organized by rights activists and families of victims, human rights activist Faisal Al-Assali denounced the Houthi militia for “violations against civilians.”

He said the agreement that the Houthis claim to abide by is one-sided, and despite the opening of Sana'a International Airport and the Port of Hodeidah, Taiz is still besieged.

Al-Assali called for serious international actions to stop the Houthis' violations in the southwestern city.

Activist Shaima Ramzy slammed the “international silence regarding the Houthis' crimes” and demanded the Presidential Council’s military interference in the city.

On Saturday, 11 children were killed as a result of a Houthi bombardment in a densely populated neighborhood in the city center. The incident was met with widespread local and international condemnation, while the Houthi group denied responsibility for the bombing.

On June 2, Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend the UN-brokered truce for two additional months. Under the ceasefire, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were halted. The agreement also allowed the operation of commercial flights from rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

They remain in control of the capital, as well as large swathes of the territory, despite a Saudi-backed military campaign aimed at restoring the government.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report