UN envoy flies to Saudi from rebel-held Sanaa

By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths flew to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after holding talks with Houthi rebels in Sanaa.

The envoy's plane left Sanaa Airport to Riyadh, a source at the airport said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

In Riyadh, Griffiths is expected to meet with Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and other Yemeni officials for talks about a UN-brokered ceasefire deal between the government and rebels.

On Dec. 13, Yemeni peace talks held in Sweden concluded with a ceasefire deal in the coastal al-Hudaydah province between Houthis and the Yemeni government.

However, the warring parties have failed to withdraw from the province amid accusations of breaching the agreement.

Impoverished Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including Sanaa.