ADEN, Yemen, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's pro-government forces on Thursday accused the Houthi militia of launching an artillery shelling against a residential area in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
Sporadic attacks also recorded in many areas of the war-torn Arab country despite announcing a two-week unilateral ceasefire by the Saudi-led coalition aimed at alleviating the suffering of Yemenis.
In Hodeidah, an official of the joint pro-government forces told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that "the Houthis shelled a residential area in Hays district of Hodeidah, killing a woman and injuring four other citizens."
Shrapnels of the Houthi shelling landed on the citizens' houses located in the southeastern part of Hodeidah, causing injuries among some children, the source said.
Local residents confirmed that "the Houthi shelling resulted in damaging some houses of the local citizens, in addition to causing panic and fear among the families living in the area."
Earlier in the day, the United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths welcomed the announcement by Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the "Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen," of a unilateral ceasefire in Yemen.
The envoy said that the ceasefire can help to advance efforts towards peace as well as the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He called upon the government of Yemen and the Houthis to follow through on their commitment to immediately cease hostilities.
Griffiths also called on the two-warring rivals to engage with each other in good faith and without preconditions to agree on a mechanism for sustaining a nation-wide ceasefire, humanitarian and economic confidence-building measures to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Yemen has been locked in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of capital Sanaa.
Over the past five years, Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition against the Houthis in Yemen in support of Hadi's internationally-recognized government.
