UN Yemen envoy blasts Huthi rebels' declared government

United Nations : The UN envoy for Yemen criticized Tuesday the decision by Huthi rebels to set up a governmentin areas they control, calling it a threat to peace efforts in the country.

The announcement by the Iran-backed rebels on Monday "represents a new and concerning obstacle to the peace process and does not serve the interests of the people of Yemen in these difficult times," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

He urged the parties in the conflict to abide by the roadmap toward peace he had presented and to re-establish a ceasefire.

"The Yemeni people have suffered for far too long and their leaders should commit to restore peace and security to their country without further delay," the envoy said.

Yemen's rebels announced the line-up of a "national salvation" government Monday as the United Nations tried to revive peace efforts in the war-wracked Arabian Peninsula country.

President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose forces have been battling the Huthi rebels and their allies since 2014, said Tuesday their announcement of a new government "destroys any chance of dialogue and peace."

The conflict has killed more than 7,000 people and displaced more than three million others.