(VOVworld)- Heavy fighting between government forces and rebels in north and west Yemen has left 51 dead, as new peace efforts appeared to stumble.

A girl walks amongst rubbish at a slum in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on 9 November 2016 (AFP)

Military officials said on Wednesday that forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have clashed since Tuesday with Shiite Houthi rebels and allied renegade troops in the country’s northwest, near the border with Saudi Arabia. The fighting began as loyalists launched an attack on three fronts to recapture the coastal town of Midi and nearby Haradh, an official said. Fifteen loyalists and 23 rebels were killed in the fighting. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that rebels were ready to observe a cease-fire plan taking effect this week, but the government swiftly dismissed the proposal, saying it rewarded the Houthis for their violent rampage. Kerry spoke a day after meeting Houthi negotiators in Oman, but Hadi’s government said it was not aware of any new peace initiative.