A Yemeni government delegation taking part in ongoing peace negotiations in Kuwait suspended its participation in the talks "indefinitely" on Sunday, according to a government source.

The source, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, attributed the move to "continued military activity by the Houthis on more than one front".

The source went on to allege that the Shia Houthi militant group -- with whom the peace talks are being held -- had stormed an army installation early Sunday in the northern Amran province.

According to the same source, recent Houthi ceasefire violations also included "the continued shelling of civilian areas in the cities of Taiz, Al-Jawf and elsewhere".

UN-brokered Yemen peace talks began on April 11 in Kuwait City following the announcement of a ceasefire.

Last week, the government delegation reiterated demands for the immediate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls on the Houthis to withdraw from cities occupied earlier and lay down their arms.

Yemen has been racked by chaos and bloodshed since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran capital Sanaa and several other parts of the country, forcing President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and his Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.

In March of last year, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive military campaign in Yemen aimed at reversing Houthi gains and restoring Hadi’s embattled government.
According to UN figures, the ongoing conflict has led to the death of some 6,400 Yemenis to date and forced some 2.5 million to flee their homes.

PHOTO CAPTION

Yemeni army soldiers patrol a street in Mansoura district of Yemen's southern port city of Aden March 30, 2016. [Reuters]

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