A 72-hour truce in conflict-ravaged Yemen is set to begin on Thursday, the UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced.

    The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy to Yemen have all been urging all parties in the country's civil war to declare an immediate ceasefire.

    In a statement, The UN envoy said he had received "assurances from all Yemeni parties of their re-commitment to the Terms and Conditions of the Cessation of Hostilities of 10 April 2016".

    He said the measure would "re-enter into force at 23:59 Yemen time (20:59 GMT) on 19 October 2016, for an initial period of 72 hours, subject to renewal". He said this "will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance". 

    Earlier, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek Al Mekhlafi said that President Hadi had agreed to the 72-hour truce. But the minister stressed that any ceasefire must also feature a promise by the rebels to end the siege of Taez, Yemen's third-city.

Source: QNA