SANAA, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations special envoy for Yemen on Friday called on the Yemeni rival parties to forgo war and join efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
"I urge the parties to forgo war and division and build on points of convergence. I call on them to join efforts to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak and turn the tide for the sake of the people of Yemen," Martin Griffiths said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the government Health Ministry on Friday recorded 12 new cases of COVID-19 in southern provinces, bringing the total confirmed cases to 205, including 33 deaths.
The government authorities have taken several measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, including imposing a partial overnight curfew in Aden and other main cities.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.
The five years of civil war has destroyed more than half of the country's health system. Enditem
