Saudi Arabia proposes five-day ceasefire in Yemen

At least 1,400 people have died and thousands displaced since the Saudi airstrikes began

Saudi Arabia says it is prepared to introduce a five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen.

A Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen six weeks ago. At least 1,400 people have been killed, the UN says.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Saudi Arabia and Yemeni rebels are discussing when to start the ceasefire.
The Saudi foreign minister said any truce would depend on the rebels’ co-operation.
At a press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Mr Kerry said neither the US nor Saudi Arabia had plans to send ground troops into Yemen.
Also on Thursday, Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance, said at least 6,000 people had been injured in the fighting, many of them civilians in the port city of Aden.
“People in Aden have endured extreme hardship as a result of conflict over the last six weeks and must be able to move to safer areas to seek medical and other assistance,” Mr Laerke said.