Fighting in Yemeni city dies down as cease-fire takes hold

18/12/2018 18:50

                Fighting subsided as the cease-fire took effect early on Tuesday, with only the sporadic sound of machineguns heard in the city, which handles about 70 percent of Yemen's imports.
        
        The cease-fire was agreed to last week by the two sides during U.N.-sponsored talks in Sweden. Under the agreement, a joint committee led by U.N. officers will oversee the cease-fire.
        
        U.N. envoy Martin Griffith has said the committee is expected to start its work swiftly "to translate the momentum built up in Sweden into achievements on the ground."
        
        Yemen's four-year conflict pits the government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, against Shiite rebels known as Houthis.