A fragile ceasefire between the army and Houthi-led rebels in northern Yemen has been put under renewed strain following the deaths of three government followers in clashes with the rebels that left a dozen others injured, local witnesses from the Bani Awair area of Saada Governorate said.
“Both sides used small and medium-sized weapons in the fighting that broke out after Houthis tried to take control of a village in the area [in Bani Awair] to set up a training camp for their followers,” Mohamed Shayea, a Bani Awair resident, told IRIN on 31 May.
The Houthis accuse Bani Awair local authorities of giving fighters cash and weapons to attack their followers.
“Local tribesmen, receiving support from the government, set up an ambush against many of our men, killing one of them and injuring another two,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdussalam said, adding that the Houthis were determined to uphold the 11 February ceasefire despite provocation.
He accused the government of fomenting tensions just as life was gradually returning to some sort of normality in the war-ravaged north, a charge the government denied and lobbed back at the rebels.
Abdullah Dhahban, a Saada council member, said the government was determined to restore peace and stability to Saada and blamed Houthis for hindering the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes.
“Efforts to promptly return IDPs have stopped as a result of ongoing violations committed by Houthi gunmen,” Dhahban said.
According to aid agencies, more than 250,000 people have been displaced by the six-year-old conflict. Very few have returned due to the volatile situation in Saada.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), progress in implementing the six ceasefire conditions of the “sixth Saada war” since 2004 is very slow and the situation remains fragile.
“There is some concern that unless the underlying causes of the conflict are addressed with a comprehensive peace agreement, there may be further unrest,” OCHA said.
Many analysts expect a seventh war to erupt at any time because the real causes of the dispute have not been addressed by the government.
“The government should examine the real demands of Houthis as Yemeni citizens and begin addressing them like other governments worldwide do in dealing with similar problems,” Mohammed al-Dhahri, a political science professor at Sanaa University, told IRIN.
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“Both sides used small and medium-sized weapons in the fighting that broke out after Houthis tried to take control of a village in the area [in Bani Awair] to set up a training camp for their followers,” Mohamed Shayea, a Bani Awair resident, told IRIN on 31 May.
The Houthis accuse Bani Awair local authorities of giving fighters cash and weapons to attack their followers.
“Local tribesmen, receiving support from the government, set up an ambush against many of our men, killing one of them and injuring another two,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdussalam said, adding that the Houthis were determined to uphold the 11 February ceasefire despite provocation.
He accused the government of fomenting tensions just as life was gradually returning to some sort of normality in the war-ravaged north, a charge the government denied and lobbed back at the rebels.
Abdullah Dhahban, a Saada council member, said the government was determined to restore peace and stability to Saada and blamed Houthis for hindering the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes.
“Efforts to promptly return IDPs have stopped as a result of ongoing violations committed by Houthi gunmen,” Dhahban said.
According to aid agencies, more than 250,000 people have been displaced by the six-year-old conflict. Very few have returned due to the volatile situation in Saada.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), progress in implementing the six ceasefire conditions of the “sixth Saada war” since 2004 is very slow and the situation remains fragile.
“There is some concern that unless the underlying causes of the conflict are addressed with a comprehensive peace agreement, there may be further unrest,” OCHA said.
Many analysts expect a seventh war to erupt at any time because the real causes of the dispute have not been addressed by the government.
“The government should examine the real demands of Houthis as Yemeni citizens and begin addressing them like other governments worldwide do in dealing with similar problems,” Mohammed al-Dhahri, a political science professor at Sanaa University, told IRIN.
ay/ed/mw
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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