UN Special Envoy to Yemen to Step Down

The U.N. said late Wednesday its special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, is leaving his post after four years of working to bring peace to the fractured nation. Benomar "has expressed an interest in moving on to another assignment" and his replacement will be named "in due course," a U.N. statement said. Benomar's role in Yemen has been critical amid the Houthi rebel uprising and Saudi-led airstrikes, raising concern about the diplomatic effort to achieve political peaceful transition. Benomar had come under pressure from some diplomats in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, about his recent efforts to broker a resolution, U.N. diplomats told the AP on the condition of anonymity.