United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismaïl Ould Cheikh Ahmed spoke at a special UN session to discuss the situation in Yemen.

He said that forces loyal to Saleh had bombed civilian neighborhoods in Taiz and left casualties and that they also fired ballistic missiles into Saudi territory.

He added that there is no regional consensus on the need to reach a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.

He urged that the humanitarian effort in Yemen should be shielded from the political conflict.

Cheikh Ahmed also called for the port of Hodeidah to be handed over to a Yemeni committee that functions under his supervision.

The responsible parties must work to alleviate the suffering in Taiz, he said.

Stephen O'Brien, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and head of UN Emergency Relief, said that $2.3 billion was needed to resolve the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

source: Alarabiya