NEW YORK
The head of the UN expressed disappointment after a humanitarian truce in Yemen was not extended despite calls by the organization to do so, his spokesman said Monday.
"[Ban Ki-moon] regrets that despite repeated calls by the United Nations, the five-day humanitarian pause in Yemen was not extended when it expired yesterday," Farhan Haq told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.
Saudi Arabia-led coalition warplanes resumed pounding positions of the Shia Houthi group in the southern Yemeni city of Aden following the expiration of the cease-fire Sunday night.
The truce came to an end at 11 p.m. local time (2000GMT) on Sunday.
The break began late Tuesday with the aim of giving humanitarian organizations the chance to distribute aid to Yemenis affected by the conflict in the impoverished nation.
In the first four days of the pause, UN dispatched enough food aid to cover one month of food supplies for more than 273,000 people, according to the UN aid agency.
Humanitarian workers also delivered fuel to ensure safe water access for 1.2 million people, as well distributing essential non-food items for nearly 32,000 people, the agency said.
"[Ban Ki-moon] noted how the humanitarian pause had provided a ray of hope and badly needed aid to the people of Yemen", Haq said.
"In this spirit, he calls on all sides to renew their commitment to the humanitarian pause for another five-day period", he added.
The U.S. State Department also called on the Saudi-led coalition to allow commercial shipments of food and fuel into the war-torn country "to avert a humanitarian crisis" for 16 million Yemenis who remain in need.
Fractious Yemen has remained in turmoil since last September, when the Houthis overran the capital Sanaa from which they have since sought to extend their influence southward to other parts of the country.
On March 25, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies began an extensive military campaign targeting Houthi positions across Yemen.
The UN estimates more than 1,800 people have been killed and at least 540,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since March 19.
