AFP, Aden :Clashes between rebels and pro-government forces in Yemen and Saudi-led air strikes killed 44 people, medics and local sources said Sunday, as Riyadh pledged to cover a UN humanitarian aid appeal.The UN says hundreds of people have died and thousands of families fled their homes since the air war was launched on March 26 at the request of embattled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.Ten Huthi rebels and four members of the “popular committees” militia fighting on the side of Hadi were killed in pre-dawn clashes in the southwestern city of Taez, the sources said.The city has become the scene of fierce clashes over the past week, after having been largely spared in fighting that has spread across several Yemeni provinces.Airstrikes on Shiite Huthi rebel positions in the southern city of Daleh as well as clashes on Sunday killed 17 Huthis and six southern fighters.Seven more Huthis were killed in an attack by tribesmen in the southern Shabwa province. Ten Huthi rebels and four members of the “popular committees” militia fighting on the side of Hadi were killed in pre-dawn clashes in the southwestern city of Taez, the sources said.The city has become the scene of fierce clashes over the past week, after having been largely spared in fighting that has spread across several Yemeni provinces.Airstrikes on Shiite Huthi rebel positions in the southern city of Daleh as well as clashes on Sunday killed 17 Huthis and six southern fighters.Seven more Huthis were killed in an attack by tribesmen in the southern Shabwa province. The rebels who seized Sanaa unopposed in September, have since expanded their control over several provinces.In Aden, southern fighters clashed on Saturday night with rebels and allied troops who have seized parts of the city, residents said, but no casualty toll was available.Saudi King Salman ordered the aid pledge following a UN appeal on Friday for $274 million (253 million euros) in emergency assistance for the millions affected by Yemen’s multi-sided conflict.The kingdom “stands with its Yemeni brothers” and hopes for “the restoration of security and stability”, the state Saudi Press Agency said. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Johannes Van Der Klaauw said Friday that “ordinary families are struggling to access healthcare, water, food and fuel — basic requirements for their survival”.Aid has only trickled into Yemen, largely because of Saudi-led coalition restrictions on its airspace and ports.On Friday, the coalition spokesman said two cargos of supplies donated by Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had reached Aden and the Red Sea city of Hodeida, via Djibouti, across the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait.Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told reporters in Riyadh that “other cargos will follow in the coming days” in a “sea bridge to get aid to the Yemeni people.”But he insisted that shipments must be coordinated with the coalition.
