UN envoy expected in Riyadh as calm returns to Yemen's Hodeida

The United Nations' Yemen envoy is expected in Riyadh on Monday as part of ongoing efforts to convene December peace talks between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government, after more than three years of a catastrophic war.

Martin Griffiths' visit comes as fighting eased around the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, a vital lifeline for imports and aid which has been the target of a fierce Saudi-backed government offensive.

The UN said the envoy, who made several visits to Hodeida last week to assess the humanitarian situation, is due to hold talks with Yemen's internationally-recognised government in Riyadh on Monday.

Under heavy international pressure, the Yemeni government and a Saudi-led military coalition have largely suspended a five-month offensive against the Red Sea city.

Fighting intensified in early November as coalition-backed loyalist forces attempted to enter Hodeida, but calm returned after Griffiths arrived in Yemen on Wednesday.

While the loyalist advance on Hodeida has largely stalled, minor clashes have continued.

Military officials quoted by the state-run Saba news agency on Sunday evening said the loyalists foiled a Houthi "infiltration attempt" into a camp in Hays province, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of Hodeida. 

The rebels said they had detonated an explosive device near the eastern entrance of Hodeida, "destroying a (pro-government) military vehicle... killing and wounding soldiers inside", Houthi-run al-Masirah reported on Monday.

Loyalists did not confirm the attack. 

But pro-government military officials told AFP on Monday that pro-government forces' operations in the east and south of the Red Sea city had been suspended.

According to UN figures, more than 10,000 people have been killed since the coalition joined the conflict in 2015 to back up the government after rebels ousted it from swathes of Yemen including Sanaa, however, rights groups believe the actual death toll exceeds UN estimates by at least five times.

Largest famine in decades

The intervention has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

On Monday, reports confirmed five international charities are urging the US to halt all military support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's rebels in order to save millions of lives.

The call comes in a joint statement Monday by the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam America, CARE US, Save the Children, and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

It says that if Washington doesn't cease its support for the coalition, "the US too, will bear responsibility for what may be the largest famine in decades".

The statement adds that 14 million people are at risk of starving to death in Yemen if the parties to the conflict don't change course immediately.

Last week, Denmark suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the second country do so after Germany.

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