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Yemen prepares for truce

September 21, 2014

The Shiite rebels have confirmed that they are preparing to sign a ceasefire agreement with Yemeni government despite continued fighting. They have said the clashes were not related to the proposed deal.

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Jemen Gefechte zwischen Schiiten und Sunniten
Image: AFP/Getty Images

Reports of fighting in Yemen's capital city, Sanaa, emerged on Sunday. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the Houthi rebels were moving towards the headquarters of the officially dissolved First Armored Division with the armored vehicles they had captured earlier.

News of continued violence came ahead of a ceasefire agreement which the government and the Shiite rebel group were expected to sign later in the day.

However, the rebel fighters said the clashes had nothing to do with the proposed agreement.

"There are no problems between us and the government. Our problem is with corrupt groups in the country, and we are going to get rid of them," Houthi member Ali al-Bukhaity told DPA news agency.

A spokesperson for the group, Ali al-Quhum, also confirmed that the group planned on moving forward with the ceasefire, which was announced late on Saturday by UN envoy Jamal Benomar.

The Houthis had reportedly agreed to call off their protest in return of cabinet seats for the first time as a result of the ceasefire agreement, according to news agency DPA.

The government has sent a plane to Saada, the rebels' stronghold, to transport their representatives back to the capital city Sanaa in order to finalize the ceasefire agreement.

Political crisis turns violent

Fighting between Shiite rebels, also know as Houthis, and Sunni rivals backed by government forces started last week. More than 100 people have been killed since Thursday, according to unofficial estimates.

The clashes spread to the capital this week with no sign of a quick end to fighting. Dozens of residents from the northern districts of the capital have fled the conflict and Sanaa airport has also been closed. President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi had also ordered nighttime curfew in attempt to contain the fighting.

Political crisis have gripped Yemen since former president Ali Abdullah Saleh was overthrown in 2012. The government has struggled since then against an al Qaeda insurgency and a secessionist movement in the country's south.

In recent months, a Zaidi Shiite rebel group led by Abdel-Malek el-Houti has expanded its influence in the north of Yemen, where they form the majority. Their supporters launched protests in the capital in August in a bid to force the resignation of the current unity government under President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

jng/kms (AFP, Reuters)