A UN-brokered truce began in Yemen at midnight Sunday (2100 GMT), the loyalist military's chief of staff said ahead of new talks to reach a lasting peace deal for the war-wracked country.

"The ceasefire has taken effect and we are going to respect it... unless the Huthi rebels violate it," General Mohamed Ali al-Makdashi told reporters.

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels vowed to respect the truce, joining other combatants in supporting the ceasefire.

The Huthis, along with allied troops loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, have sent the United Nations a letter committing to "cease land, sea and air military operations" throughout Yemen, according to a communique carried by the rebel-run Saba news agency.

A Saudi-led coalition has for more than a year been supporting the loyalist forces of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi against the Iran-backed Shiite Huthis who seized much of Yemen.
Source: AFP