ADEN // Yemen’s Houthi rebels have driven some 150 families out of their homes in Taez province and threatened to kill those who did not comply, in a desperate bid to stave off advancing pro-government troops.
The families were forced from their homes on Tuesday in the rural area of Haifan, Al Silw and Hithran, which government forces have been trying to reclaim since the province fell to the rebels and their allies in April last year.
“The Houthis usually expel people to plant landmines, so they can hamper our advance towards them, and only yesterday they expelled about 150 families,” said a leader of the popular resistance in Taez province.
"This is not the first time that the Houthis expel people from their house, but it was a huge number on a single day," he told The National.
“The Houthis threatened to kill the families that will not leave their houses before sunset. So all the families, which are about 30, left their houses before sunset,” said social activist Naseem Al Odaini who witnessed the expulsion of residents from Dabah village, in the Hithran area west of Taez.
He said the rebels arrested 17 men who refused to leave their houses.
“Most of the families do not know where they will go, and fled their houses towards the city and some other rural areas.”
Mr Al Odaini believes the Houthis are planning to plant landmines in the village as it is located within the conflict zone.
“I only took the most important things ... and left the furniture at home, as the cars cannot enter the village because of war in the surrounding area. My son was arrested by the Houthis last month,” one of the fleeing women told Mr Al Odaini.
He said most of those expelled were women and children because the men were either locked up in Houthi jails or had escaped the village area to save themselves from the Houthis.
A Saudi-led coalition, which includes the UAE, has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015 to try to restore to power Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, the internationally-recognised president.
On Wednesday, the UAE delivered its fourth shipment of spare parts and filters to the southern port city of Mukalla to help ease the burden on Yemeni citizens in Hadramawt province, who have to endure periodic power cuts.
The initiative is part of the UAE relief programme carried out through the Emirates Red Crescent to help Yemenis in areas such as education, health and infrastructure, said Mattar Al Ketbi, head of the UAE relief team in Hadramawt.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* with additional reporting from Wam