Yemen: UN envoy touches down in Sanaa ahead of planned truce

The new United Nations envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, arrived in Sanaa on Tuesday, ahead of the proposed five-day truce between the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Yemeni Houthi forces. Ahmed, a Mauritanian diplomat, has been in the position since April. Before his visit to Yemen, he visited the Gulf states that have been carrying out a bombing campaign on Yemen for over six weeks. Just hours before Ahmed’s arrival, Saudi-led air strikes pounded the capital reportedly killing up to 69 people. The attack comes after air strikes reportedly killed 90 on Monday. Ahmed has been tasked with upholding the truce, which is due to start at 11pm local time (20:00 GMT/21:00 CET).