Jamal Benomar, the U.N. special adviser on Yemen, leaves the legislative body in Sanaa.

The U.N. peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned, the U.N. said Wednesday, after losing support from Gulf countries for his mission in the conflict-riven nation.

The Moroccan diplomat had been U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s special envoy for Yemen since 2012.

Benomar has “expressed an interest in moving on to another assignment,” the U.N. statement said.

“A successor shall be named in due course,” it added.

A U.N. official had earlier confirmed to AFP that Benomar had quit his post.

Among the candidates who may take his place is Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who currently heads the U.N. Ebola mission in Accra, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Benomar’s departure came after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution calling for the swift resumption of peace talks and an end to violence in Yemen.

Fighting has escalated in the poor Arab country after a Saudi-led coalition launched an air war on March 26 to stop the advance by the Shiite Houthis.

Gulf countries accuse Benomar of having been duped by the Houthis who held peace talks while the group pressed their offensive for more territory.

Ban “greatly appreciates the tireless efforts Mr. Benomar has made over the years to promote consensus and trust on a peaceful way forward in Yemen,” the U.N. statement said.

Yemen’s U.N.-recognized President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia when the Huthis advanced on Aden, his stronghold in the south, weeks after they seized Sanaa.

Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of arming the o, a claim Tehran has rejected.

The resolution adopted on Tuesday calls on the Houthis to withdraw from Sanaa and all other areas they have seized.

More than 700 people have died in the recent upsurge of fighting and more than 2,700 have been wounded.

[wpResize]

Related articles across the web

• UN chief instructs Syria envoy to seek political end to war
• Report: 5 Syrian chemical facilities to be destroyed by June
• Syria envoy instructed by UN to seek political end to war
• U.N. Security Council Mulls How To Help Syria's Yarmouk Civilians
• Report: 5 Syrian chemical facilities to be destroyed by June